Naman Shrestha
When 40-year-old Conbino Crasto was shot to death during a gas station robbery in Cleveland, Texas, in December 2015, the shockwaves of the crime were not only felt in the community but were also felt all the way in Goa, India, where his family resided. Thanks to the surveillance footage of the store, the investigators were able to capture the men responsible for the shooting. The episode titled ‘Three Masked Males’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘See No Evil’ delves deep into the case with the help of exclusive interviews with the loved ones of the victim and the officials connected to the investigation.
Conbino Crasto Was Ambushed at His Workplace in December 2015
Conbino “Bino” Crasto was brought into the world by Filomena and Menino Crasto in 1975. Born and brought up in Goa, India, Conbino shared a major part of his childhood with his parents as well as his siblings — brothers Alecisco and Roy Crasto and sister Rometha. In the 2000s, he got married to Jessica Crasto, and the couple became parents to two sons, Cain and Cosam, over the next years of their marriage. An ambitious man from his early days, Conbino was determined to make his and his family’s lives better and stable financially. So, he decided to move to the United States and change his fortune.
In 2009, Conbino went through with his decision and moved to Texas, while his wife and children stayed back in Goa, India. As soon as he started earning there, he sent the money that he earned back to his family. In 2015, he was working at the Exxon convenience store at 1030 FM 2025 in Cleveland, Texas. Having worked for around seven years in Texas, he had planned to return home to Goa for Christmas, but later on, he decided that spending his wife’s birthday together in March 2016 was of more importance. Unfortunately, three masked men rained on his parade when one of them shot a fatal bullet in his chest while he was working his shift at the store on the night of December 16, 2015.
One of Conbino’s cousins, who was working in another Texas store, informed the police of the situation. As the authorities arrived at the crime scene, they rushed the 40-year-old victim to the Memorial Hermann Hospital in a LifeFlight helicopter. However, by the time he reached the hospital, Conbino was declared dead. Upon receiving the tragic news, his family in Goa were shocked and shaken to the core. The autopsy reports revealed that he died of the fatal gunshot wound as the bullet pierced his heart and then lodged in his spine.
Three Masked Men Murdered Conbino Crasto While Robbing the Store
As the detectives investigated the murder of Conbino Crasto, they found out that around 9:30 pm on December 16, 2015, three armed and masked men entered the Exxon store with the intention to rob the place. After getting into an argument with Conbino, one of the three men shot him in the chest. Meanwhile, the other two accomplices stole the money from the register and behind the counter before fleeing the scene. Soon, the investigators connected four young men to the crime — Roberto Alvarado, Michael Richardson, Frank Hernandez Jr., and a 15-year-old juvenile. Within the next five days of the shooting, all the suspects were taken into custody.
As per Michael and Frank’s claims, they met with the other two accomplices, Roberto and the unnamed juvenile, on the fateful night at Michael’s house at 330 Martin Street in Cleveland, Texas. After all of them smoked up for a while, Roberto floated the idea of robbing the nearby store. According to Michael and Frank, they went to the store and filled up Roberto’s truck with some gas while inspecting the store. After mapping out the plan for the burglary, they went to the nearby Tanglewood neighborhood, where Roberto provided them with gloves, masks, pants, and shirts in order to completely conceal their identities. Furthermore, Michael claimed that Roberto handed Frank a firearm as well.
The plan was that Michael, Frank, and the juvenile would go into the store and commit the robbery while Roberto would serve as the lookout and the getaway driver waiting for them nearby. On the one hand, Michael claimed that he was extremely panicked when Frank shot down Conbino unexpectedly. On the other hand, according to Frank, Michael instructed him to shoot the clerk at the store. After the robbery, they distributed the cash they stole among themselves.
Roberto Alvarado, Frank Hernandez, and Michael Richardson Are Incarcerated at Different Texas Prisons
In March 2017, Frank Hernandez and Michael Richardson pleaded guilty. In return for getting their charges reduced from capital murder to murder, they were ordered to cooperate fully with the authorities and testify against each other and the other defendants involved in the robbery and shooting of Conbino Crasto. During the trial of Roberto Alvarado, the defense claimed that the only involvement of the defendant was being the driver for the other three men, contrary to the testimonies of Michael and Frank.
Since he had opted to allow the jury to decide on his sentencing, Alvarado’s family and friends requested the jury to show some mercy on the defendant during the trial. However, on March 16, 2017, the jury ordered him to 65 years in prison for providing the clothing, masks, gloves, and the handgun for his accomplices and being the getaway driver in the shooting death of Conbino Crasto. He is currently incarcerated at the John M. Wynne Unit in Huntsville, Texas. On the other hand, Frank was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. As of today, he is serving his sentence at the French M. Robertson Unit in Abilene, Texas. Both the convicts have their parole eligibility scheduled for December 2045.
Michael Richardson also took the approach of Roberto and opted to get his fate decided by the jury. It worked in his favor as his original 50-year sentence was reduced to a 28-year sentence with the possibility of parole in 14 years. Currently, he is incarcerated at the Jim Ferguson Unit in Midway, Texas, with his parole eligibility set for December 2029. As for the juvenile involved in the crime, he was given a 10-year imprisonment sentence.
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