St. Louis, MO – Kilwa Jones, St. Louis, MO, was sentenced to 35 years in prison on multiple charges involving the September 25, 2015, shooting of Christopher Sanna, as well as the robberies of both Sanna and his companion, Lisa Simpson. The robberies and the assault occurred near the Old Cathedral in the northbound lanes of Memorial Drive, which is part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.
According to court documents, on September 25, 2015, victims Christopher Sanna and Lisa Simpson were walking back to their car, which was parked on the Old Cathedral parking lot, after attending a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game. Kilwa Jones confronted them with a semi-automatic pistol and demanded their property. As the victims attempted to ignore Jones and walk toward their vehicle, Jones shot Sanna in the back, rifled his pants pockets as he lay paralyzed on the ground and forcibly grabbed Simpson’s purse. Jones then jumped into a car and drove away.
Jones pled guilty in July to assault with a dangerous weapon while on federal property, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, two counts of robbery while on federal property and the charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He appeared today for sentencing before United States District Judge Catherine D. Perry.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney John Bird handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.