ST. LOUIS — This week, a jury found 19-year-old Johnathon Jones and 38-year-old Mark Perry guilty for a deadly shooting on Sep. 6, 2021, near the Gateway Arch grounds in downtown St. Louis.
Both were found guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action.
According to a news release from the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office, the victim 29-year-old Brandon Scott was shot multiple times while seated inside his car at a red light on Washington Avenue and Second Street.
Video surveillance captured the shooting showing a woman driving a car with Perry and Jones, pulling up next to Scott’s car and firing shots.
The release said ballistic testing later confirmed 14 shots were fired from two different guns. After being shot multiple times, Scott’s car accelerated forward and crashed on a flight of stairs on the Arch grounds.
According to family, Scott was out celebrating his completion of commercial driver’s license classes when he was shot to death during what his family believes was a road rage incident.
Scott’s family said he left behind two children – one of whom was only two months old when he was killed.
It was recommended for Jones to serve 15 years in prison for the murder and seven years and six months for armed criminal action. The sentences must run consecutively.
Jones will be formally sentenced Sep. 20.
Perry will be sentenced on a future date. The release said since Perry is a prior and persistent offender, he could face a higher range of punishment.
“This was a challenging case involving two extremely dangerous defendants who preyed on an individual who happened to cross their path,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “We are grateful for the skillful assistance of Special Assistant Circuit Attorney O’Toole in obtaining a guilty verdict that will make our streets safer for everyone.”
Case under Kim Gardner's administration
At the end of April 2023, no one from the prosecutor's office showed up for the murder trial involving Jones and Perry.
This was just one month prior to former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner stepping down amid mounting criticism. At the time, the number of attorneys at the office were dwindling and there was an overflow of cases.
At that time, the judge refused to dismiss the case.
Scott’s family said they moved to Georgia because they feared Scott’s killers might try to hurt them. They traveled to St. Louis for the trial, but three days before the trial, a Victim Services representative from Gardner’s office told them the trial was off.
Gardner stepped down in the middle of May. Current Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore stepped in at the end of May.
More than a year after the no-show hearing and under Gore's administration, the case was resolved with guilty verdicts.
Connection to another homicide
Jones was 16 at the time of the April 2021 shooting.
The news release said Jones escaped from the City’s Juvenile Detention Center in November 2021.
Following that escape, Jones was charged for a separate shooting death of 19-year-old JaDun Byrd in March 2022 in The Ville neighborhood.
This month, Jones was charged with first-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action in that case and was certified to stand trial as an adult.
According to a probable cause statement, Byrd was heading into a Lyft to meet his mom at her work. Byrd was FaceTiming his mom when this shooting happened.
Court documents said she witnessed the shooting and saw her son hit the ground and could only see his face.
"They didn't even rob him," Leslie Byrd told 5 On Your Side in an interview less than a week after the shooting. "They didn't take anything from him. They just shot him and pulled off."
Jones remains in custody. This case is still ongoing.
