ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for fatally stabbing a man and stealing his car in 2020.
Quentin Jackson, 40, entered blind guilty pleas last year to second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and stealing a motor vehicle. He was sentenced in St. Louis County Circuit Court on Friday.
According to a release from the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Jackson admitted that on Jan. 13, 2020, he fatally stabbed 41-year-old Justin Leeman in the neck and then stole his car. DNA recovered from the knife used to stab Leeman matched Jackson's DNA, and police found blood on his clothing and in the stolen car.
Leeman's neighbor found his body on the porch of his home in the 700 block of Hildesheim Avenue.
5 On Your Side spoke to friends of Leeman in 2020. They described him as someone who went out of his way to help people.
Leeman was known for donating about half of his salary he made as a pizza delivery driver. He donated it to Jesus in Disguise, which helps feed, clothe and find shelter and rehabilitation centers for the homeless, its founder Crystal Smith said.
“Justin had a heart for the poor like nobody I’ve ever seen. It’s such a waste of a life," Smith told 5 On Your Side.
"By all accounts, Justin Leeman dedicated his life to serving others, which made his loss that much more devastating," said St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell on Saturday. "With this guilty plea and prison sentence, his family and friends at least know who took his life and that he is being held responsible."
