ST. LOUIS, MO  (August 7, 2026) — Jonathon Jones, 21, was sentenced Friday to life in prison for the second-degree murder of 19-year-old Jadun Byrd, who was shot multiple times and killed in The Ville neighborhood in March 2022.

On March 2, 2022, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department homicide detectives responded to a reported shooting and found Byrd deceased from multiple gunshot wounds. Byrd had taken a Lyft to meet his mother at work and was on FaceTime with her when he was murdered. His mother heard the gunshots and watched her son fall to the ground during the call. An eyewitness told investigators that a white Dodge Journey drove toward Byrd as he walked through a parking lot. The vehicle's driver's side windows lowered, and multiple shots were fired at Byrd.

During the investigation, surveillance footage showed the Dodge Journey circling the area where Byrd lived and following the Lyft carrying him. Additional surveillance footage showed Jones entering the Dodge Journey approximately 30 minutes before the murder and returning in the vehicle approximately 30 minutes afterward. Investigators recovered Jones' fingerprints from the driver's side of the Dodge Journey. Multiple firearms were recovered while executing a search warrant at a residence where Jones was located. Ballistic testing linked one of those firearms to evidence recovered from the murder scene. Investigators also determined Jones' phone was placed in airplane mode shortly before the murder and taken out of airplane mode shortly afterward. Two other people who were inside the Dodge Journey during the shooting identified Jones as the driver and told investigators that Jones was one of the individuals who shot at Byrd.

Jones was 17 years old when he murdered Byrd. Because Jones was a juvenile at the time of the crime, the case initially proceeded through juvenile court. On July 8, 2024, Jones was certified to stand trial as an adult.

At the time of Byrd's murder, Jones had escaped from the Juvenile Detention Center, where he was being held in connection with a separate homicide case. Jones has since been convicted of second-degree murder in that case.

“Jadun Byrd was 19 years old and had his entire life ahead of him. His family will carry the pain of losing him for the rest of their lives. Our office will aggressively prosecute those who commit violent crimes and continue working to protect the people of St. Louis from those who endanger our communities,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore.

Deputy Violent Crime Unit Supervisor Grant Simon and Assistant Circuit Attorney Ryan Dowd prosecuted the case on behalf of the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office.

The defendant’s case number is 2422-CR01956-01.