Circuit Attorney’s Office Clears Another Homicide Case

ST. LOUIS, MO (September 18, 2023) — Jalynn Garner, 21, pleaded guilty today to second- degree murder, first-degree robbery and two counts of armed criminal action in the fatal shooting of St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Ret. Sgt. Ralph Harper on Oct. 19, 2018. According to the terms of the plea, Garner will serve 20 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Garner was 16 when he was arrested for shooting Harper, 67, during a robbery in the 3100 block of Lackland Avenue near Tower Grove Park. Garner shot Harper while attempting to steal Harper’s vehicle. Harper fired his police revolver, injuring Garner in the arm. Harper died at the scene. Due to the seriousness of the crimes, Garner was certified to stand trial as an adult. He pleaded guilty to all four charges.

Because he was a juvenile at the time of the crimes, Garner was to be evaluated for the dual jurisdiction program, a blended sentencing option in which juvenile and adult sentences are simultaneously imposed and the adult sentence is suspended. When the Division of Youth Services determined that Garner was not an appropriate candidate for the dual jurisdiction program, a judge allowed him to withdraw his guilty plea on Dec. 23, 2019. The case had been pending in the 22^nd Judicial Circuit since that time.

Garner’s 15-year-old accomplice, Justin Matthews, pleaded guilty in 2019 to second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, resisting arrest, tampering with a motor vehicle and two counts of armed criminal action. A judge suspended Mathews' 20-year sentence and placed him in juvenile detention until he turns 21. He will be eligible for parole at age 21 if he completes the juvenile detention program. If not, he will begin serving his sentence.

“The Circuit Attorney’s Office is working diligently to clear the backlog of homicide cases and other violent crimes in the City of St. Louis,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “I am gratified that our dedicated prosecution team achieved a measure of justice for Mr. Harper and his family.”

Harper had served 33 years with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department before retiring in 2007. His last assignment was in the juvenile division.

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