ST. LOUIS — A man was charged Friday after police said he threatened the judge and jury in the trial of Daniel Riely.
Erick Buntyn, 34, was charged with tampering with a judicial officer, a class D felony, in connection with the alleged incident at the Carnahan Courthouse.
According to the probable cause statement, Buntyn started yelling in the courtroom after the guilty verdict against Daniel Riley was read Thursday evening. A sheriff's deputy said Buntyn yelled "[Expletive] the judge and the jury, they are all racists, if I see any of them outside, I'm going to [expletive] kill them."
St. Louis police responded to the courtroom and took Buntyn into custody. He is being held without bond.
The probable cause statement said Buntyn had a pending felony harassment case and failed to appear before a judge in a separate possession of a controlled substance case, both of which were out of Madison County, Illinois.
Riley, the driver who critically injured Tennessee teen Janae Edmondson while she was visiting St. Louis in February 2023, was found guilty on all but one misdemeanor assault charge for causing the crash. The jury deliberated for just over three hours before returning its verdict.
The decision came just over a year after the crash and after three days of testimony. Strong emotions flowed while Janae, who was in St. Louis for a volleyball tournament, her parents and first responders recounted events from the crash.
Riley, 22, was charged with one count each of second-degree assault and armed criminal action, both felonies. He was also charged with several misdemeanors, including one count of driving without a license and two counts of fourth-degree assault.
The jury recommended Riley be sentenced to 6 years, 3 months in prison for second-degree assault; 11 years, 8 months in prison for armed criminal action charge; and 10 months in the St. Louis City Justice Center for fourth-degree assault charge.
Judge Michael Noble will decide if Riley's sentences will be served consecutively or concurrently at a hearing on April 18.