ST. LOUIS, MO  (June 16, 2026) — Terron Young, 34, was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 15 years after a jury found him 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, a local emcee and musician.

On February 2, 2024, Jefferson hosted an event at a venue in the 4700 block of Martin Luther King Drive. While outside the venue, Jefferson streamed live on Facebook. During the livestream, a gunman positioned in a concealed sniper's nest across the street opened fire, striking Jefferson. He later died from his injuries.

The investigation uncovered that the shooting was a planned ambush. Young and Jefferson had been involved in an ongoing feud, and investigators determined that Young coordinated the attack. On the night of the murder, Young drove to the area of the sniper's nest while co-defendants arrived separately. From the concealed position across the street, the gunmen waited for Jefferson to appear before opening fire.

Surveillance footage captured Young's vehicle fleeing the area immediately after the shooting and traveling toward a co-defendant's residence. Investigators later recovered spent cartridge casings from the area used as the sniper's nest. During a search of a co-defendant's residence, investigators recovered ammunition consistent with the cartridge casings found at the scene.

"First-degree murder carries the most serious consequences under Missouri law, and today's sentence reflects the gravity of taking a life through a calculated act of violence," said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. "While no sentence can undo the devastation that this murder caused, today's outcome ensures the defendant will spend the rest of his life in prison. This result would not have been possible without the tireless work of our assistant circuit attorneys, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department's Homicide Division, and FBI task force officers, whose collaborative efforts helped bring this case to a successful conclusion."

Homicide Unit Deputy Chief Carolyn Chkautovich, Assistant Circuit Attorney Nicholas Hirst, and Assistant Circuit Attorney Ryan Dowd prosecuted the case.

The defendant’s case number is 2422-CR00597-01.