A 55-year-old convicted murderer from Ocala is facing up to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced on Monday that Christopher Richard Munroe has pleaded guilty to the firearm possession charge. Munroe had been indicted on December 20, 2022.
On November 14, 2022, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Ocala Police Department responded to the Publix located at 9570 SW 62nd Avenue Road in Ocala. The owner of a local moving company had contacted law enforcement to report that Munroe had stolen three firearms while packing a residence for customers earlier in the day.
According to the MCSO arrest report, the owner advised that he had previously dropped off Munroe at the Publix located on SW 62nd Avenue Road, and he returned to the grocery store to confront Munroe about the firearm thefts. When Munroe refused to discuss the incident, law enforcement was contacted.
The arrest report stated that an MCSO corporal and a deputy, along with a K-9 partner, arrived at the Publix. Munroe was found crouching down in some nearby bushes, and the following items were located in the area that he had been hiding: three firearms, including a Glock 44, a Smith and Wesson M&P .380 Shield, and a Guardian .380; seven ammunition magazines – five of those magazines belonged to the recovered firearms and the remaining two magazines belonged to an unknown 9mm handgun; and ammunition.
According to court records, Munroe had previously been convicted of second-degree murder in New York, and he was released on parole in 2018. As a convicted felon, Munroe is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law.
A sentencing hearing for Munroe is scheduled for June 15, 2023.