On August 9, 2019, 22-year-old male Charles Lagrone of Hazelwood traveled to the Walnut Park West neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri, under the impression that he was participating in a drug transaction. He arrived at the 5000 block of Goodfellow Boulevard, unaware that the arrangement was a ruse orchestrated to rob him and his associates. Upon his arrival at the designated parking lot, the situation turned violent.
Lagrone was ambushed and fatally shot, with police later discovering his body at the scene. Two other individuals who were with him, a 24-year-old woman and a 20-year-old male, were present during the incident but were left uninjured.
The investigation into the homicide led authorities to identify and arrest three suspects who had conspired to lure Lagrone to the location: Teraz Bateman, Earl Payne, and Cortez McCullough. Investigators determined that the group had planned the robbery, which ultimately escalated into murder. It was revealed during legal proceedings that McCullough, who was only 14 years old at the time of the shooting, was the individual who fired a rifle into the vehicle, causing Lagrone's death. Due to the severity of the crime, McCullough was certified to stand trial as an adult.
The legal outcomes for the defendants varied based on their roles and plea agreements. Teraz Bateman took his case to trial and was found guilty by a jury in October 2022 of felony murder, robbery, and armed criminal action. He received a sentence of life in prison. Earl Payne, aged 24 at the time of the crime, accepted a plea deal in 2023, pleading guilty to armed criminal action, robbery, witness tampering, gun theft, and a reduced charge of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Cortez McCullough, the youngest of the group, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in January 2024, just before his trial was set to begin. He pleaded guilty to two counts of armed criminal action, stealing, and involuntary manslaughter, a charge reduced from second-degree murder. McCullough was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement in the slaying.
