ST. LOUIS — The man who shot and killed a De Smet football coach, conducted numerous carjackings and briefly escaped jail was sentenced to 60 years in prison for his crimes, court records show.
Kurt Wallace pleaded guilty to shooting drivers during three separate carjackings in 2017. He shot his final victim, De Smet Jesuit High School football coach Jaz Granderson, while stealing his Jeep Grand Cherokee on Oct. 16, 2017.
Wallace pleaded guilty to the crimes in September 2023. He was the seventh person convicted in connection to a series of violent crimes in 2017.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man pleads guilty in shooting of De Smet football coach who was lured to his death
As part of his plea, Wallace also admitted to escaping from jail in 2019 with fellow inmate James Flannel, who was being held on accusations of killing a cab driver and would later plead guilty. The pair carjacked a vehicle and led police on a multi-jurisdiction chase that ended when Wallace crashed and flipped the car.
Wallace's accomplice, Jherrica Dixon, also pled guilty to numerous criminal charges. She reportedly set up a series of meetings with men so they could be carjacked by Wallace, her then-boyfriend. She was sentenced to 19 years in prison.
“While this sentencing, as well the others, will not bring back Mr. Granderson, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will always work to bring trigger-pullers who terrorize our communities to justice” said Kansas City Field Division Special Agent in Charge Bernard Hansen.
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