ST. LOUIS, MO  (October 10, 2025) —   A St. Louis man has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for a deadly 2022 double murder that left two men dead and a teenage boy wounded in the city’s North Riverfront neighborhood.

Eric Wooten, 28, was sentenced Friday, October 10, 2025, in St. Louis Circuit Court. He previously pleaded guilty on August 1, 2025, to two counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree assault.

The charges stem from a shooting on the night of February 13, 2022, around 9:50 p.m. According to reports, Wooten was riding in a vehicle with three others, Kevin Payne Jr., 19, Florentino Pegues, 34, and 16-year-old Dylan Jackson, after the group had spent the day filming a music video. Without provocation, Wooten pulled out a 9mm handgun and shot all three victims inside the vehicle near North Broadway and East Taylor Avenue. He then fled from the vehicle on foot.

Officers from Mobile Reserve responding to the scene saw Wooten running across Interstate 70 and arrested him shortly after. During his arrest, Wooten made spontaneous statements to officers and admitted that he shot all three victims. He further admitted that none of the victims had threatened him. Wooten told police he discarded the murder weapon in a bush as he fled, but he did not cooperate in locating it, and the firearm was never recovered.

Responding officers found Payne dead in the street from two gunshot wounds. Pegues and Jackson were both transported by St. Louis Fire Department EMS to Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Jackson survived two gunshot wounds to the back, while Pegues, who had been shot in the face, died approximately six months later on August 7, 2022, from complications related to his injuries.

“This case is a stark reminder of how quickly gun violence can devastate lives and communities,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “Two people were killed, a young person was seriously injured, and families are still living with the consequences. Our office will continue to seek justice for victims and ensure that those who commit acts of senseless violence are held fully accountable .”

Special Assistant Circuit Attorney Terrance O'Toole Jr. and Assistant Circuit Attorneys Andrew Costello and Rebecca Hirsch prosecuted the case.



The defendant’s case number is 2222-CR00178-01.