Inset: Marshawn Stepney (St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department). Background: The intersection near where Stepney killed several members of a family while trying to evade police (Google Maps).
A Missouri man has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison following a devastating crash that claimed the lives of multiple members of a single family.
Earlier this year, 21-year-old Marshawn Stepney admitted guilt to five counts of second-degree murder, alongside two counts of assault, and additional charges of tampering and fleeing the scene of an accident.
On Tuesday, Judge Clinton Wright of the St. Louis Circuit Court imposed a 25-year prison sentence on Stepney as part of a plea agreement. This decision follows the tragic deaths of 34-year-old Lahronda Simmons, 44-year-old Luther Simmons, 47-year-old Ephriam Simmons, 52-year-old Anngelique Simmons, and 11-year-old Takira Thompson. The victims were killed during a high-speed chase when Stepney collided with their vehicle.
The incident unfolded on May 6, 2022, when Stepney was behind the wheel of a stolen 2015 Jeep Cherokee suspected in a series of thefts across the St. Louis region, as per documents shared by CBS affiliate KMOV.
The chaos began at the intersection of Delmar Boulevard and Union Boulevard, where Stepney’s reckless driving resulted in a collision with a gray Infiniti. A passenger in the Jeep discharged a firearm at the Infiniti, prompting the driver to call 911 as Stepney sped away.
Police eventually caught up with Stepney. Despite deploying spike strips to slow the Jeep, Stepney continued at speeds exceeding 80 mph through the city, ultimately crashing into the Simmons family’s minivan near Delmar and Pendleton Avenue.
In addition to the five family members dying, an 8-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl were injured and rushed to a nearby hospital.
Amid the confusion, Stepney was able to leave the scene of the crime. The defendant then returned to the scene several hours later, contacted a resident who lived nearby, and called his mother to come pick him up. He was finally arrested 12 days after the fatal crash.
Emotions ran high during the defendant’s sentencing hearing. When a relative of the slain family came up to address the court, Stepney reportedly turned around and smirked.
“He’s smiling,” grandmother Elinor Simmons told St. Louis-based Fox affiliate KTVI, describing the interaction. “No remorse for what he had taken from us! He took a lot from us.”
During the sentencing hearing, the judge reportedly addressed the grandmother directly, praised her strength, and said no sentence would be enough under the circumstances.
“I appreciated that,” Simmons told the TV station. “My strength come[s] from God. I tell you, if God was not in my life, in my heart, I wouldn’t maybe be standing here today to talk to you.”
Law enforcement also charged two other men in relation to the incident.
Jaylen Holland, 20, stands accused of five counts of second-degree murder, armed criminal action and six counts of felony stealing. He is alleged to have been found in the back of the Jeep with a pistol nearby.
Walter Burton, 20, is also charged with five counts of second-degree murder and several theft-related crimes. He is alleged to have been found in the passenger side of the Jeep with an assault-style rifle between his legs.
