St. Louis Man Pleads Guilty to Killing 15-year-old Boy
November 29, 2023

ST. LOUIS, MO (November 29, 2023) — Tevin Collins, 22, pleaded guilty Monday to second- degree murder and one count of armed criminal action in the shooting death of 15-year-old Ezell Johnson III on October 22, 2020. The shooting took place in the 4200 block of East Ashland Avenue in The Greater Ville neighborhood.


Ezell was sitting in the back of a car when he was shot multiple times. He was taken to St. Louis Children’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police recovered multiple shell casings from a 9mm weapon at the scene.


On October 30, police arrested Collins in the basement of a home in the 10000 block of Royal Drive, where they found a 9mm Sig-Sauer pistol hidden in an airduct. Collins said he shot Ezell because he felt he had been “played” by Ezell and believed Ezell had shot at him the previous night in a drive-by. The victim had a .40 caliber pistol next to him in the car where he was shot.


Collins, who was 19 when the shooting occurred, had been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. The murder charge was reduced to second-degree murder in exchange for his guilty pleas; he was scheduled to go to trial December 4, 2023. He will serve 15 years for second-degree murder and three additional years for armed criminal action. He will receive credit for the three years of jail time he has already served.


The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant Circuit Attorney Gordon Ankney.

 

“Such devastating violence involving two teenagers in our community is completely unacceptable,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “I am grateful for the work of a seasoned prosecutor in putting the individual responsible for this senseless death where he belongs.”


###


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.