RALEIGH - Police have added two more robberies to a long list they say might have been committed by a man who killed a clerk at the Wilco store on Trawick Road in April, bringing the total to nine.

Those added to the tally Monday were at the Wilco Hess at 7413 Louisburg Road on Feb. 1 and 13. Each time, a man entered the store about 5 a.m. as the clerk was opening for the day and robbed it at gunpoint.

The nine robberies appear to have been planned carefully, with nearly all occurring as the businesses were opening or closing. Detectives think that the robber is unusually methodical, said police spokesman Jim Sughrue. "He seems to have a clear idea what he wants to do in the commission of the crime, and he tends to get in and out quickly," Sughrue said.

In each case, the robber has carried a handgun. If police are right and it's the same man, he's quick to use it.

Clerk Stephanie Powell Anderson, 39, was found dead when police responded to an alarm at the Wilco Hess convenience store about 5 a.m. A clerk at another store, Mexico Lindo at 4010 Wake Forest Road, was wounded Sept. 10. And during the robbery of a Subway restaurant May 7 at 5410 Six Forks Road, a shot was fired.

The pattern of striking early and late in the business day could be related to the robber's normal daily schedule, or it could be part of a strategy, perhaps to reduce the number of potential witnesses, Sughrue said.

The robberies so far have been in northeast Raleigh. Sughrue said that merchants there should be particularly careful. Those elsewhere in the city should be careful, too, he said.

"I wouldn't want anyone to be lured into a false sense of safety, because this is a very dangerous suspect that puts a lot of thought into his strategy, and he could adjust that strategy," Sughrue said.

Detectives recommend that multiple employees open and close businesses whenever possible and that employees pay close attention to the areas surrounding stores at those times, being careful about potential hiding places, he said.

The other robberies that might be related include: Jan. 23, Subway, 10450 Durant Road; April 5, Subway, 6320 Capital Blvd.; May 24, Capital Food Mart, 2929 Capital Blvd.; and June 5, Bojangles', 10610 Durant Road.

In each case, the robber was described as black, in his 20s to 30s, and about 6 feet tall with an athletic build. Other identifying details, such as skin tone, manner of speaking, and hair style, were not provided. The robber's clothing varied in the holdups.

A special tip line, 227-6220, has been set up for information on the cases. Also, Wilco Hess is offering a $25,000 reward for information related to the fatal shooting of Anderson.

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