St. Louis murder suspect received bond, GPS monitoring days before police say he killed man at gas station
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - A man is now charged with second-degree murder after police say he shot and killed another man at a gas station after a tussle for a gun on Sunday.
The suspect, Trevell Warren, could have already been behind bars if a court decision had gone differently last week.
He is accused of the murder of John Christmas.
“We’re just trying to work through it and just accept our new normal,” said Jerryl Christmas.
Jerryl Christmas, a longtime criminal attorney in St. Louis, has consoled families suffering loss before. Now he’s on the other side of that loss, as his brother John Christmas was killed at a gas station on Sunday.
“My brother was very enthusiastic, always the life of the party,” said Jerryl Christmas.
Police say Christmas was arguing with an employee at Crown Food Mart on Kingshighway in North City. Eventually, Trevell Warren saw Christmas had a gun and went for it. After a squabble, Warren shot Christmas.
The incident has led to calls for the gas station to be shut down, including from Jerryl Christmas.
“I want it closed, I want it closed,” said Jerryl Christmas.
There are questions on whether Warren should have been on the streets at all. According to court records, he has served prison time for felonies in the past and was charged in April with two counts of illegal possession of a gun.
He was released on bond and given a GPS monitor. The records show four reported bond violations stemming from the GPS monitor in May. He also missed a court date.
Yet on May 31, he was released with a GPS bracelet by Judge Catherine Dierker. The circuit attorney’s office did not contest his release.
Two days later, police say he killed Christmas and is now charged with second-degree murder, among other felonies.
“I’ll be second-guessing myself forever. Ultimately, I wish the judge would have kept him confined,” said Jerryl Christmas.
Christmas says in his experience prosecuting and now as a criminal defense attorney, he’s a huge proponent of shock incarceration, making defendants wait in jail as they go through the court system, at least for a few months.
“When you release the individuals too quickly, they don’t understand the serious nature of their crimes,” said Jerryl Christmas.
We reached out to the circuit attorney’s office to ask why they didn’t insist Warren be kept in jail. Their spokesperson was unavailable Thursday and may have a comment Friday.
They also added that the decision is ultimately up to the judge.
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