ST. LOUIS, MO  (October 20, 2025) —   Derrick Smith, 41, was sentenced Monday to life in prison with the possibility of parole, plus 10 years for the 2024 killing of his girlfriend, 39-year-old Norma Reano, inside their home in the City’s Dutchtown neighborhood.

A St. Louis jury convicted Smith in August of second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon for the fatal shooting, which occurred on July 19, 2024, in the couple’s apartment in the 5000 block of Alaska Avenue.

On the day of the incident, Smith called 911 and claimed someone else had shot Ms. Reano. However, investigators determined that a close-range shotgun blast killed Ms. Reano and discovered the weapon hidden in the building’s basement. Forensic testing matched Smith’s DNA to the shotgun and confirmed gunshot residue on his hands. During the trial, a former girlfriend testified that Smith had previously threatened her with a shotgun during an argument and told her he would kill her.

“The Defendant’s actions were violent and irreversible,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “This sentence sends a clear message: those who commit such brutal acts of violence will be held fully accountable under the law.”

Assistant Circuit Attorney Grant Simon, Violent Crime Unit Supervisor Adam Field, and Assistant Circuit Attorney Lydia Stewart prosecuted the case.



The defendant’s case number is 2422-CR02087-01.