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CASSOPOLIS — An Ohio man who took part in an armed robbery at a home in Cassopolis four years ago was sentenced to prison Friday in Cass County Circuit Court.

     James Edward Birtcher III, 23, of Columbus, Ohio, pleaded guilty to armed robbery and was sentenced to six years eight months to 15 years in prison with credit for 78 days served and $548 in fines and costs.

     Birtcher is already serving a 25 year prison sentence in Indiana for attempted murder and the new sentence handed down Friday is concurrent with that sentence and can be served in any penal institution.

     The incident occurred March 3, 2020 at a home on Day Lake Road near Cassopolis. Birtcher and three others went there to rob a person they knew of money and drugs. When that person wasn’t there, they robbed the man’s girlfriend and shot and killed her dog. Later that same day, the four were involved in the murder of a man in St. Joseph County, Indiana.

     Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz spoke of the “really, really bad stuff” that happened that day both in Cass County and in Indiana. He quoted Proverbs and urged Birtcher to reflect on how he wants to live the rest of his life.

     Defense attorney Greg Feldman noted that Birtcher realizes the mistakes he’s made in his life. “He wrote in his description of the offense that he was young and not in the right frame of mind,” Feldman said. “He felt he had nothing to lose when he had everything to lose.”

     “Often people are angry at society and don’t understand what they’ve done,” he added. “I think it holds well for his future that he realizes that he blew that part of his life. He says he wants to get his education and get a job when he gets out, he doesn’t want to go back in.”

     Birtcher, who appeared via Zoom from the Indiana prison where he is serving his sentence, apologized to the victims in the case. “I do have remorse for the crimes that occurred,” he said. “I plan to change my life, be rehabilitated and change for the better.”

     “You’re 23 years old, you need to look where you are in life,” Cass County Circuit Court Judge Mark Herman said. “Four people are in prison, one man is dead, a dog is dead, all over a few bucks and a little marijuana.”

     The judge noted that Birtcher has a high school diploma and would be in a so much better position if he had started working rather than pursuing a life of crime.

“If you just spent 15 years working minimum wage, you would have retirement and social security benefits built up and half a million dollars in wages,” he said. “That’s why I say crime doesn’t pay. Think about that the next time you think you’ll make a few hundred bucks. If you work and stay out of trouble, you will take a ton more money.”

“Think about the things you can do with your life,” he added. “You’re going to get out, you’ll probably be in your 40s and probably have half of your life ahead of you. You can choose to make decisions to move forward with life or revert back to where you are now. You’re young, you made a mistake and a bad one. I hope you can move forward.”