SALEM — A Haverhill man charged in a 2010 home invasion at the downtown Cordovan Apartments pleaded guilty yesterday to armed robbery, assault and battery, drug possession and illegal firearm charges in Salem Superior Court.
William Marcano, 34, of 24 Atwood Road, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison on the charges, which include assault with a gun. Police said he hit a man living in the home in the head with a gun.
Prosecutors dropped two home invasion charges against Marcano, But he did plead guilty yesterday to two counts of armed robbery, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, illegal possession of a firearm (a .45-caliber handgun) and possession of marijuana.
He is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 31 for sentencing.
Marcano was one of three people charged in the Nov. 15, 2010, home invasion at the apartment complex on Walnut Street.
Allison Sullivan, 23, of 6 Columbia Park and Jennifer Balch, 25, of 144 Old Ferry Road were also charged in connection with the crime.
Police said Balch drove Marcano and Sullivan to the Cordovan Apartments the night of Nov. 15. Sullivan texted Steven D’Andrea, 25, an acquaintance of hers who lived in the apartment building, and asked if she could visit him, police said.
Sullivan and Marcano then entered the Cordovan building and went upstairs to D’Andrea’s apartment, where he let Sullivan enter, police said. D’Andrea testified in Haverhill District Court on Jan. 4 that the next thing he knew, an unknown man “had a gun sticking in my face.”
He said the gunman, later identified as Marcano, hit him on the back of his head with a gun, rummaged through his belongings and stole $3,890 in cash and about a half ounce of marijuana that was in a dresser.
D’Andrea said he, a guest at his apartment, Jessie Shepherd, 24, and Sullivan were ordered by Marcano to lie on a bed while he looked for items to steal.
Balch and Sullivan were charged with witness intimidation because of misleading statements they allegedly made to police, according to the district attorney’s office.
After his arrest, Marcano was held at Middleton jail on $100,000 cash bail. He previously served 12 years in prison for bank robbery and, even if he were to post the $100,000 bail, he would be held in a federal detention center for violating his parole for the bank robbery, authorities said.
In court yesterday, with defense attorney Steven Van Dyke sitting at his side, Marcano admitted he was guilty of the charges he faced.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jessica Strasnick.
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter under the screenname EagleTribJill.
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