Prosecutors: Cedar Rapids man acted like 'mugger' in robbing strippers

Two strippers and one of their boyfriends testified today that Ramone Moon came to their Motel 6 room last year with a gun, demanded money and pistol whipped one of them and attacked all them in some way.

The Woody's Show Club dancers testified Moon hadn't been invited to their room. They believe he followed them from the club after 4 a.m. last July 18. He came into their room, threatened them with a gun and demanded more and more money.

Moon, 18, of Cedar Rapids, is charged with four counts of first-degree robbery. The trial continues 9 a.m. Wednesday in Linn County District Court.

Deontrice Abbey, 18, of Davenport, said he was scared for his life after Moon pulled out his gun. Moon hit him in the head with the gun because he wouldn't give him any money and wouldn't move against the wall. Moon wanted the women to be on one side of the room and the men on the other.

When Moon hit him with the gun it went off and Abbey fell down on the bed and when he got up Moon hit him again.

“My head hurt and I couldn't see very much,” Abbey said. “I could hear him demanding more money.”

Tiffany Caruthers, 20, of Davenport, a Woody's dancer, said Moon told them it wasn't a joke. He pointed the gun at her boyfriend Abbey and the other dancer, Tequeria “Keri” Burrage and her boyfriend Jonathan Harris.

The three victims testified Moon told them he wouldn't hurt the women but would kill the “N…”

“He hit Yosh (Abbey) in the head with the gun and when it went off that's when….(she starts crying) I knew he was serious,” Burrage said. “I couldn't believe it was happening to us.”

Caruthers said she finally told Moon she could get some more money from somewhere else, so she could leave and call police. Moon let her go and she ran to the front desk window of the motel and told the clerk they were being robbed but the clerk said she couldn't help her. She then went to another dancer's room and called 911.

Burrage said she left the room after Caruthers when Harris started a struggle with Moon. She hid underneath a car in the parking lot until police arrived.

Abbey said after the women left Harris and Moon started to struggle over the gun and then he jumped in. Moon bit Harris on the back and Abbey was choking Moon but he got loose and Harris grabbed the gun and shot him.

Abbey said police arrived shortly after the shooting.

Kjas Long, Moon's public defender, said in his opening that Moon is the victim in this incident. He was invited by Caruthers to her motel room after the club closed. When Moon showed up, Abbey and Harris attacked him and “gunned him down.”

Moon had two operations for his serious internal injuries, Long said. The bullets hit his liver, pancreas and abdomen.

Updated 4:02 p.m. (Trish Mehaffey)

Tequeria “Keri” Burrage, 21, former Woody's stripper, testified Moon hit Abbey in the head with the revolver and when it went off “that's when ……(she starts crying) I knew he was serious. I couldn't believe it was happening to us.”

Burrage's account of the Moon robbing them was similar to Caruther's.

She said Moon kept demanding more money from them after they had given him all of what they had. When they told Moon they didn't have any more, he would hit one of them.

At one point, he grabbed Caruthers by the head and threw her across the room and then pointed the gun at Burrage and took everything she had in her purse, Burrage said. Harris then started wrestling with Moon for the gun and she ran out of the room. This was after Caruthers had already left.

Burrage said she ran outside and started banging on doors for help but nobody came to their doors. She saw a car in the parking lot and it started following her, so she ran away and hid underneath a car by a dumpster.

“I heard gunshots when I was under the car,” Burrage said. “I didn't come out until I heard the (police) sirens.”

Deontrice Abbey, 18, of Davenport, said he was scared for his life after Moon pulled out his gun. He and Harris didn't have any guns.

Abbey said Moon hit him in the head with the gun because he wouldn't give him any money and wouldn't move against the wall. Moon wanted the women to be on one side of the room and the men on the other. When Moon hit him the gun went off and Abbey fell down on the bed and when he got up Moon hit him again.

“My head hurt and I couldn't see very much,” Abbey said. “I could hear him demanding more money.”

Abbey said Harris and Moon started to struggle over the gun and he tried to help. Moon bit Harris on the back and Abbey was choking Moon but he got loose and Harris grabbed the gun and shot him.

Abbey said police arrived shortly after the shooting.