Two Macomb County men sentenced for St. Clair County robbery, assault

Two Macomb County men were recently sentenced to long prison terms for their roles in a drug deal gone bad in St. Clair County.

The incident resulted in two men being injured and an alleged culprit was fatally stabbed.

Brandon Williams, 20, of Roseville, was sentenced to 22 to 40 years for armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery and seven to 15 years for assault with intent to do great bodily harm while Joseph Gigliotti, 22, of Washington Township, received 18 to 30 years for the same armed robbery charges and five to 10 years for the same assault charge, court records say.

Both were sentenced Nov. 1 by Judge Michael West of St. Clair County Circuit Court in Port Huron following their convictions in a September trial.

The defendants robbed and assaulted Nathan Chavarria, 21, of Port Huron, during a drug deal June 24, 2020 in Port Huron Township. Chavarria was found lying on the ground with several stab wounds.

Port Huron police officers located the suspects a short time later in a Cadillac. Officers discovered 19-year-old Jovonte Thurman, of Mount Clemens, dead inside of the vehicle and Gigliotti suffering from stab wounds.

Investigators allege Thurman planned to rob Chavarria, who agreed to sell them narcotics.

One of two other co-defendants, Alexandra Dillon, was also scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 1 but that has been adjourned to Dec. 6, records say. She pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree conspiracy to commit home invasion in exchange for her testimony at her co-defendants’ trial and dismissal of charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and a felony firearm. She is seeking status under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act under which her charges will be erased from the public record if she complies with conditions as determined by the judge, according to records.

A fourth defendant, Joseph Smith, 20, of Burtchville Township, was sentenced in October to 10 to 30 years in prison for his role in the incident. He pleaded guilty in July to first-degree home invasion, conspiracy to commit first-degree home invasion and assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer, court records say. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors agreed to the dismissal of the charges of armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and felony firearm.