St. Louis Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Arson Spree and Firearm Possession

St. Louis resident Vaely Berry, a 52-year-old with prior felony convictions, has been sentenced to five years in prison following his guilty plea over two separate arsons committed in 2022, as well as illegal firearm possession, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Missouri. Judge Henry E. Autrey handed down the sentence on Wednesday, concluding a case that began with Berry’s destructive acts against local businesses.

The incidents involved Berry hurling Molotov cocktails atop a supermarket and grill on North Broadway and later a liquor store on Lillian Avenue; the first attack occurred on July 15, 2022, while the second took place on December 8, 2022, and these acts were captured by surveillance equipment that recorded Berry in the act of committing the arsons, that lead to significant structural damage. In the aftermath, investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, revealed a revolver and a shotgun during a search of Berry’s home, despite his prohibited status from firearms ownership due to past felonies.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware led the prosecution of the case, having successfully secured Berry’s guilty plea in August on two counts of arson and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, in proceedings that unfolded in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Underlying the details provided by the

U.S. Attorney’s Office

is a narrative of crime and punishment, where actions steeped in illegality met the consequential machinery of the justice system.

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