ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis man was sentenced Friday to more than two decades in prison following his May conviction for his role in the killing of an auto mechanic after an argument over car repair costs.
According to a press release from the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri, a St. Louis circuit judge sentenced 21-year-old Isaiah Gholson to 21 years behind bars for first-degree involuntary manslaughter and assault and two counts of armed criminal action.
On July 10, 2019, then-17-year-old Gholson and his mother, Ranada Anthony, were both charged in connection with the shooting death of Kerry Charley. He was certified to stand trial as an adult as a result of the incident.
Police said Charley worked on cars out of his home on Prairie Avenue in north St. Louis. On July 9, 2019, Gholson and Anthony came to the home to get Gholson's BMW after getting some repairs done.
Police said an argument over the invoice for repairs broke out. Gholson and Anthony tried to take the car without paying, but Gholson eventually shot and killed Charley, according to 2019 charging documents.
Police said Gholson also shot Charley's girlfriend in the back as she ran away from the home. She survived the shooting, and police said she picked Gholson and Anthony out of photo lineups.
Officers said both denied even being at the home, but Charley's records show he was working on the BMW registered to Anthony. Gholson also denied his involvement in the shooting.
Anthony, 43, pleaded guilty in 2020 to shooting Charley’s fiancée and impeding in the prosecution of her son by letting him drive her BMW from the scene while she got away in another vehicle, according to court records. She was charged with third-degree assault, hindering prosecution of a felony and failure to report a shooting. She has served about a year in jail.
One of Gholson's cousins asked the judge for leniency and described Gholson as a “loving” person who grew up without a father. The relative said Gholson hopes to remain in his 4-year-old son’s life.
Charlene Edwards, one of the victim's nine siblings, spoke in court Friday and said her brother’s death was a “senseless, sinister and violent homicide.” She also said Charley was "generous and tried to help underprivileged people in his neighborhood by charging deeply discounted rates for repairs and offering payment plans. He was a giver of light to those who couldn’t give back,” Edwards said.
