ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Monday sentenced a man who instigated the fatal robbery of a cab driver in Hazelwood, Missouri, in 2022 to 30 years in prison.
Tywon Harris, now 21, was one of four teens involved in the robbery of Dewight Price, 54, on April 24, 2022. All four have pleaded guilty and been sentenced.
On April 24, 2022, after leaving a party in downtown St. Louis, Harris called for a cab. He and the three other teens had walked to a gas station in the 700 block of North Tucker Boulevard. Harris and Trishawn Jones were each armed with a semiautomatic handgun, but Harris gave his to Coron Dees to carry in a cross-body bag.
The four planned to take the taxi to a fake address near Jeremiah Allen’s home and then run away without paying. After learning that they would have to prepay for the ride, they began discussing plans to rob Price.
In court Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel said Harris “took the lead in planning” the robbery, which led to everything that followed.
The teens told Price to drive to Hazelwood Central High School, thinking there would be no witnesses there at that time. Dees and Jones then robbed Price at gunpoint. After Price handed cash to Jones, Price grabbed a firearm he kept in his door. Allen warned the others that Price had a gun.
Price began to get out, but Harris opened his door, knocking Price to the ground. Jones saw Price’s gun and fired once, striking Price in the torso. The teens then ran away without aiding Price or calling for help.
Dees, now 21, and Allen, 20, pleaded guilty to a robbery charge. Jones, 20, and Harris pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting in the commission of murder.
Dees is serving a 17-year prison sentence. Jones was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Allen was sentenced to 12½ years in prison.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel prosecuted the case.
