ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis man agreed to a plea deal Monday in the deadly 2020 shooting of a 15-year-old boy.
Tevin Collins, 22, agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the death of Ezell Johnson III on Oct. 22, 2020.
Collins was 19 at the time of the deadly shooting, which police said happened on East Ashland Avenue in the city's Greater Ville neighborhood.
Officers found Ezell Johnson III suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. There was also a white sedan in the area with “heavy ballistic damage,” according to the police report.
Investigators said Ezell Johnson III was sitting inside a car when Tevin Collins approached the car and shot him multiple times. Johnson was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Collins was charged with first-degree murder, but prosecutors agreed to reduce the charge as part of the plea deal.
Circuit Judge Madeline Connolly accepted Collins’ guilty pleas and approved the terms of the plea deal.
Collins, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison, will get credit for the three years of jail time he has already served.
Johnson was a ninth-grader at Soldan High School.
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Resources for crime victims:
If you have been a victim of a crime or know someone who has been, 5 On Your Side has compiled a list of resources.
The Crime Victim Center of St. Louis has multiple programs to support victims of crime. Crime Victim Center’s programs range from direct services to crime victims as well as “creating awareness and change within the systems they encounter.”
Life Outside of Violence "helps those harmed by stabbing, gunshot or assault receive the treatment, support and resources they need to find alternatives to end the cycle of violence."
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis has the Neighborhood Healing Network, which serves people who have experienced crime, violence or been the victim of an incident that caused trauma.
