Shooting of a Total Stranger Described as “Thrill Kill”

ST. LOUIS, MO (April 12, 2024) — A jury found Ledra Craig, 21, guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the shooting death of Donald Yorker, 53, on February 5, 2021, in the 3300 block of Leola Avenue in the City’s Lindenwood Park neighborhood.

On the day of the shooting, Craig drove to the 3300 block of Leola and saw Yorker walking into his house at about 5:30 p.m. Craig got out of his car and asked Yorker how to get to Union Station. As Yorker was giving him directions, Craig shot him once in the face with a 9 mm handgun. Part of their interaction, but not the actual shooting, was captured on Yorker’s home security camera. He was found on the sidewalk and transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Circuit Attorney Rob Huq and Chief Trial Attorney Marvin Teer, who described the shooting to the jury as a “thrill kill.” Among evidence presented at trial were a photo of Yorker and a television news reel about the murder on Craig’s cell phone, which prosecutors characterized as personal “tokens” of the murder.

Craig waived jury sentencing because the only punishment for first-degree murder in Missouri is life without parole.

“The cold-blooded, daylight murder of a total stranger is an aberration,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “Thanks to the teamwork of our experienced prosecutors and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, we were able to bring the killer to justice.”

When the case was tried previously in April of 2023, the jury hanged with a vote of 11-1 in favor of Craig’s guilt.

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