St. Louis Man Found Guilty of 2022 Murder
February 9, 2024

ST. LOUIS, MO (February 9, 2024) — Jeffery Lamonte Lumzy, 54, was found guilty by a jury Friday of first-degree murder in the December 29, 2022, shooting death of Jeffrey Avant, 35, in an apartment in the 1800 block of Cass Avenue in the city’s Carr Square neighborhood.


Lumzy was also found guilty of first-degree burglary, unlawful possession of a firearm, stealing a motor vehicle, and armed criminal action.

Police responding to a call for a shooting were met by Deidra Prince, who lived in the apartment with her five children. The victim had been visiting Prince when Lumzy, who was the father of three of the children, entered the apartment. Lumzy told Avant to leave, sparking an argument with Prince. Lumzy left, then returned, entering the apartment after climbing over the back porch railing. He shot Avant once in the chest.


Rather than calling 911 or rendering aid for Avant, who was begging for help, Lumzy told Prince to get the children dressed. She refused to allow him to take them without her. Outside the apartment, he was forcing Prince and the children into her rental car when a maintenance worker at the apartment complex intervened. Lumzy stole the car and drove away. He abandoned the vehicle in a supermarket parking lot and fled to Chicago, where he was found and arrested months later.


Avant was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where he died.


The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant Circuit Attorneys Erin O’Brien Granger and Tiffany Becker, who were cross-designated by the U.S. Attorney’s office to assist the Circuit Attorney’s office in prosecuting homicides.


“Our office is grateful for the able assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s office in successfully prosecuting this homicide,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore.

The punishment for first-degree murder is life in prison without parole.


Lumzy has a long list of prior convictions, including burglary, stealing, forgery and unlawful possession of a firearm.


###

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.