U. S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming | US Attorney - Eastern District of Missouri
U. S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming | US Attorney - Eastern District of Missouri
A man involved in the fatal shooting of a cab driver in Hazelwood, Missouri, in 2022 has been sentenced to 22 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey. The sentence was handed down on Thursday to Trishawn Jones, 20, who was one of four teens implicated in the robbery and subsequent murder of Dewight Price, 54.
The incident occurred on April 24, 2022. All four teenagers pleaded guilty to their respective charges. Coron Dees and Jeremiah Allen, both aged 20, admitted to a robbery charge. Meanwhile, Jones and Tywon Harris, also aged 20, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting in the commission of a murder. In April, Judge Autrey sentenced Dees to serve 17 years behind bars.
The court heard that after leaving a party in downtown St. Louis, the group stopped at a gas station and called for a cab at around 5:23 a.m. They planned to give the driver a fake address near Allen’s home and then abscond without paying the fare. However, upon learning they would have to prepay for their ride, they decided instead to rob Price.
They directed Price to drive them to Hazelwood Central High School under the assumption there would be no witnesses present at that early hour. Once there, Dees and Jones robbed Price at gunpoint despite his pleas not to shoot him.
As Price handed over his cash to Jones, he reached for a firearm he kept in his door compartment. Allen alerted his accomplices that Price was armed just as Price began exiting the vehicle. At this point Harris opened his door forcefully enough to knock Price onto the ground. Seeing Price's weapon exposed prompted Jones to fire once at him hitting him in the torso.
Following this brutal act, all four teens fled from the scene without offering any assistance or alerting authorities about Price's condition.
In a letter to Judge Autrey, one of Price’s daughters described her father as "the happiest joyful person just trying to get his customers to their destinations safely and satisfied."
The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI jointly investigated the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel leading the prosecution.
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