Man Pleads Guilty to 18 Years in Fatal Shooting
August 16, 2024

ST. LOUIS, MO (August 16, 2024) — Ta’Shaun L. Patterson, 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the shooting death of 29-year-old Miguel Johnson at the intersection of Laclede and North Taylor avenues in the city’s Central West End on May 3, 2023.


Peterson originally faced a charge of first-degree murder, but the charge was amended to second-degree murder as part of a plea agreement. He will serve 15 years in prison for Johnson’s murder, plus three years to be served consecutively for armed criminal action.


Patterson and his friend, Syntrell Howard, 22, had gone to an apartment in the 4400 block of Forest Park Parkway where Johnson lived with Howard’s mother. When she and Johnson got into an argument, Howard tried to intervene. Howard and Patterson chased Johnson out of the apartment and onto the street wearing nothing but his underwear. Patterson and Howard ran after Johnson and shot him multiple times in front of several witnesses near the intersection of Laclede and North Taylor avenues at about 3:45 p.m. The two fled but were quickly apprehended by police. Johnson was taken to a nearby hospital where he died from his gunshot wounds less than an hour later.


The case was prosecuted by Violent Crime Unit Supervisor Tanja Engelhardt and Assistant Circuit Attorney Andrew Russek.


“In addition to this senseless killing, the heedless actions of these two young men endangered the lives of city residents simply going about their business on a spring afternoon,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “Public safety will always be our highest priority. Murder on our streets will not be tolerated.”


Howard, who has a prior conviction for first-degree robbery, is facing charges of first-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a gun. His trial is set for December 2, 2024.

           ###


For Immediate Release

For more information contact:

Amber Raub

Public Information Officer

St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office

rauba@stlouiscao.org

314-589-6233 (office)

314-312-9912 (cell)

More News

January 9, 2026
ST. LOUIS, MO (January 09, 2026) — On Friday, a jury found Terron Young, 34, guilty of first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon in the killing of 32-year-old Anthony Jefferson. On February 2, 2024, Jefferson was shot outside an event space in the 4700 block of Martin Luther King Drive in St. Louis. Officers responded to a report of a shooting outside the club, where Jefferson was found suffering from gunshot wounds. He later succumbed to his injuries. Through a coordinated investigation led by SLMPD Homicide Detectives, with assistance from FBI task force officers, investigators determined that it was a targeted shooting. Young and Jefferson were involved in an ongoing feud. On the night of the murder, Young drove to the location from which the fatal shots were fired while co-defendants arrived in a separate vehicle. Surveillance footage captured Young’s vehicle fleeing the area from which the fatal shots were fired immediately after the shooting and traveling toward a co-defendant’s residence. Investigators recovered spent cartridge casings from a field near the location from which the fatal shots were fired. During a search of the co-defendant’s residence, investigators recovered ammunition consistent with the cartridge casings found at the scene. “This outcome reflects the extensive work of our prosecutors, along with SLMPD Homicide Detectives and FBI task force officers, who investigated this complex case and presented it to the jury over the course of a week-long trial,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “As a result of an effective collaborative investigation by state and federal law enforcement, we were able to hold the defendant accountable for a cold-blooded targeted killing and obtain a measure of justice for the victim’s family.” Young faces mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole. His sentencing will be set for a later date. Homicide Unit Deputy Chief Carolyn Chkautovich and Assistant Circuit Attorneys Nicholas Hirst and Ryan Dowd prosecuted the case. The defendant’s case number is 2422-CR00597-01.
Seal of the Circuit Attorney for the City of St. Louis, Missouri.
January 9, 2026
A St. Louis judge on Friday sentenced Robert Johnson, 59, to 28 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for beating his wife, Nancy Johnson, to death.
Seal of the Circuit Attorney for the City of St. Louis, Missouri, featuring the state seal.
January 8, 2026
Ramon Chavez-Rodriguez, 25, was sentenced Thursday to 15 years for driving while intoxicated and causing a crash that killed 44-year-old SLMPD Officer David Lee.