In the early morning hours of January 23, 2021, the life of 33-year-old Derrell Barlow was tragically cut short in the Greater Ville neighborhood of Saint Louis, Missouri. Responding to a call just before 2 a.m. on the 3200 block of North Newstead Avenue, police officers discovered Barlow on the ground with multiple puncture wounds. Emergency medical services pronounced him dead at the scene. The St.
Louis Metropolitan Police Department's homicide division immediately began an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
The investigation into Barlow's death led to the arrest of 41-year-old James Miller. Miller was subsequently charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm. Reports suggest the fatal encounter stemmed from a fight that had occurred earlier inside a local bar. Surveillance footage from the scene reportedly captured Miller pointing a gun at Barlow before walking away with two firearms. This incident was one of 32 homicides recorded by the city's police department in the early months of 2021, highlighting a significant issue of violent crime in the area and prompting calls from local officials for increased police presence and resources to curb the violence.
In a resolution to the case, James L. Miller entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action. A St. Louis Circuit Judge sentenced Miller to a total of 14 years in prison: 11 years for the murder charge and a consecutive three-year term for armed criminal action. During the sentencing, Barlow's sister made a poignant statement, holding up the white bedsheet she said had covered her brother's body at the crime scene and describing Miller as 'evil' and 'a menace to society.' This prison term is set to run consecutively to a separate federal prison sentence Miller is serving for gun and drug convictions from 2022. Miller's criminal history also includes a prior conviction for second-degree murder from a 1996 incident.
