ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis man will spend the rest of his life in prison after admitting to shooting four people, killing his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend, back in 2016.
On Monday, Maurice Hoskins accepted a plea deal that sentenced him to life plus 20 years in prison for the July 2016 shooting.
In the deal, he admitted to killing 38-year-old Jacara Sproaps and her boyfriend 40-year-old Maurice Partlow. Sproaps' son, who was 18 at the time. was also shot in the side, breaking some ribs and causing internal injuries. He also shot and grazed a uniformed police officer.
The plea deal said Hoskins walked up to Jacara Sproaps and Partlow at a home on Miami Street in south St. Louis and began arguing with them. He eventually pulled out a gun and shot Partlow twice in the head after a struggle over the gun. Sproaps and her son tried to run away, but Hoskins shot both of them, killing Jacara and sending her son to the hospital.
The plea deal said Hoskins fired shots at two uniformed police officers who responded to the scene of the shooting. One of the officers suffered a graze wound.
Per the agreement, the murder charges were reduced from first-degree murder to second-degree murder. He pleaded guilty to all other charges, which included three counts of first-degree assault and five counts of armed criminal action.