St. Louis County Man Receives 40-Year Sentence for the 2022 Murder of Florissant Woman

For the 2022 murder of a Florissant woman, a man from St. Louis County was given a cumulative term of 40 years in jail. After a jury found 27-year-old Douglas Shelton-Herron guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the killing of 39-year-old Lekeshia Stokes, he was sentenced. According to the St. Louis City Circuit Court, the incident happened on February 11, 2022, in Baden, on the 8500 block of Church Road.

Stokes had just left a karaoke event and was heading home when she sideswiped Shelton-Herron’s car, according to information revealed during the trial. Following the little mishap, Stokes was accosted by Shelton-Herron and two accomplices, which resulted in her being shot several times. Shelton-Herron fired a dozen bullets from a semiautomatic weapon, as shown on surveillance film. Shelton-Herron was convicted of the lesser charge of second-degree murder, even though prosecutors pushed for a conviction for first-degree murder.

Both of Shelton-Herron’s friends, Thomas L. Shelton, 25, and Corey Evans, 21, had previously agreed to plea bargains with prosecutors and received 10-year terms for armed criminal action and voluntary manslaughter, which were dropped from first-degree murder counts. Shelton-Herron received a stiffer sentence from St. Louis Circuit Judge Bryan Hettenbach, who sentenced him to 30 years in prison for the murder and 10 years in prison for the related armed criminal action offense.

Stokes’ mother and sister spoke about their grief and the effects of their loss during the sentencing hearing. Sharniece Stokes, who has taken on the responsibility of rearing her late sister’s four children, stated, “It’s hard every day,” a sentiment expressed by the St. Louis City Circuit Court. Shelton-Herron apologized to the Stokes family as well. As the family described their daily struggle to survive without Lekeshia, Shelton-Herron expressed regret and said he would sacrifice his life for hers.

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