Amherst man sentenced to prison on armed & masked robbery case

An Amherst man was sentenced to 7-8 years in prison Tuesday in connection with a 2019 armed robbery in which the victim recognized the masked man by the sound of his voice.

Hampshire Superior Court Judge Richard Carey sentenced Oscar Garcia Alvarado, 24, to the State Prison term after he changed his plea to guilty on charges of armed and masked robbery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and breaking and entering in the nighttime with the intent to commit a felony.

The sentence was jointly recommended by Northwestern First Assistant District Attorney Steven E. Gagne and Garcia Alvarado’s defense lawyer Alfred P. Chamberland of Easthampton. As part of the agreement, the Commonwealth dropped charges of home invasion and armed burglary.

The crime occurred on Nov. 14, 2019 when Garcia Alvarado and another man, both of whom had concealed their faces with hooded sweatshirts, entered the 26-year-old victim’s Amherst apartment while he was playing a video game online with friends from across the country. One of the men carried what appeared to be a handgun and the other what appeared to be a rifle.

The men ordered the victim onto the floor, demanded money and one of them struck the victim in the back of the head with the weapon. The victim recognized the voice of Garcia Alvarado, whom he had previously known, and when he referred to him by his name, Garcia Alvarado said: “Who’s Oscar? Stop saying my name or I’ll kill you.” The pair then left with $320 in cash and numerous electronic items.

The victim’s friends, meanwhile, heard the scuffle and called 911 to summon help, but when police arrived, the assailants had fled.

Garcia Alvarado remained at large until he was arrested by Northampton Police on an unrelated offense in March of 2020. He was subsequently arraigned in Eastern Hampshire District Court on March 30, 2020 and then indicted and arraigned in Hampshire Superior Court on April 1, 2021. The identity of the second man is unknown.