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Man gets prison in merchant's slaying

By Anthony Gottschlich

Dayton Daily News

DAYTON | A 21-year-old man faces life in prison for the robbing and shooting to death of a Santa Clara Arts District merchant last year.

His jaw wired shut from a jailhouse scuffle Wednesday night, Alexandre Galen Pendergrass pleaded guilty Friday to the Sept. 30, 2004, aggravated murder and aggravated robbery of Mamadou Njie, 45, of 4773 Ericson Ave.

Pendergrass, also of Jefferson Twp., avoided trial in a plea agreement with Montgomery County prosecutors. The high school dropout will serve 23 years before he can be paroled. Three of those years are for using a gun in the crimes.

Judge John Kessler of Montgomery County Common Pleas Court set sentencing for July 22.

Pendergrass shot Njie in the face, neck and torso while robbing the clothing store owner in the now-closed Nasru Fashions the Urban Wear at 1937 N. Main St., near Santa Clara Avenue, police and prosecutors said.

Njie, an African immigrant, died during surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital.

Acting on tips, police found Pendergrass the next day, about a block and a half from Njie's business.

His murder outraged a community rocked by several shooting deaths last September, including Dayton Daily News reporter Derek Ali. Hundreds marched days later in an anti-violence rally.

Prosecutors dropped the charge of having a weapon while under restrictions from a crime of violence, a robbery in 2003.

Njie's widow, Athena Njie, attended the hearing.

"He did a crime and he's being punished for it," she said.