ST. LOUIS, MO (April 19, 2024) — Devin Griffin-Curry, 19, was found guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action for the fatal shooting of Rickey Jemore Lathan, 35, on July 12, 2022, in the 2500 block of Semple Avenue in the City’s Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood. Griffin-Curry was 16 at the time of the shooting and was certified to stand trial as an adult. 

Lathan was standing in his bathrobe in his front yard with his 10-year-old son and five-year-old daughter at about 11 p.m. shooting off fireworks. A bottle rocket shot across Semple and hit the house of Griffin-Curry’s grandparents. His grandfather, Ronald Curry Sr., became angry, rushed out of the house and confronted Lathan, telling him to shoot the fireworks off at a vacant lot nearby. As they were arguing, Devin ran out of the back of Curry’s house, firing a 9 mm pistol at Lathan. He was hit nine times and died at the scene.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hal Goldsmith and Jennifer Szczucinski.

“This was a senseless murder of a father of six children over a minor incident,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “Our office appreciates the excellent work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hal Goldsmith and Jennifer Szczucinski in obtaining a guilty verdict in this case.”

Griffin-Curry will be sentenced on April 22, 2024.

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