Couple that Stole Car, Robbed 7-Eleven & Left Baby Alone Near Space Heater Plead Guilty

A couple that left their baby at home near a dangerous space heater while they stole a car and robbed a store plead guilty this week.

Malcom Shields, 21, of Croydon, and Christine Speciale, 22, of Bristol, plead guilty to charges including robbery,, theft, endangering the welfare of a child. They will be sentenced before a Bucks County judge in the coming weeks.

According to police, the couple stole a car from the 7-Eleven on South Pennsylvania Avenue in Morrisville Borough early one February morning. Shortly after, the two robbed the 7-Eleven on West Trenton Avenue in Falls Township. During the robbery, Speciale told Shields to just shoot the clerk after he had trouble opening to register. The clerk was later assaulted by the 21-year-old.

As Falls and Morrisville police investigated the two incidents, a Bristol Township officer was flagged down near the Sunoco gas station of Veterans Highway (Route 413) by a clerk. Shields and Speciale were said to have engaged in an argument with a customer in the gas station. The customer said the two stole his friend’s car in Morrisville and ripped a purple bag from Shield. Inside the bag, the man found his friend’s cell phone and 59 unused lottery tickets, according to court papers. Bristol Township police searched the area and found the stolen Monte Carlo nearby.

Police said they later discovered Speciale’s 2-year-old son alone in a powerless residence on Harper Avenue in Morrisville. A detective found the toddler in a closed bedroom. The child had a soiled diaper and was near a working space heater. The couple’s roommates told police Shields and Speciale never asked them to look after the child and they had no idea the boy was alone.

Shield told police, according to court papers, the two planned to “rob someone or a store,” but said the theft of the car was spontaneous.