On the evening of March 18, 2019, James Anthony Sapone, a 48-year-old man, was with his fiancée in St. Louis, Missouri. The couple was walking to their parked car in the vicinity of Cherokee Street and Iowa Avenue after 9 p.m. when their night took a tragic turn. They were suddenly confronted by assailants intent on robbing them and stealing their vehicle.
An altercation broke out, and in the ensuing struggle, a firearm was discharged.
Sapone, a talented photographer known to his friends as Anthony, a Navy veteran, guitarist, and electronic music creator, was struck by the gunfire. The attackers fled the scene, leaving him gravely wounded. He was rushed to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries. The initial investigation by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department faced challenges in generating leads, despite the incident occurring in a bustling area known for its restaurants and shops.
The persistence of law enforcement, including the FBI, eventually led to a breakthrough in the case. In September 2019, three individuals from East St. Louis, Illinois, were federally indicted in connection with Sapone's death. The suspects were identified as Demario Hunter, 33, Keombra James, 25, and Surrayah Hill, 21. They were all taken into custody and faced serious charges, including attempted carjacking resulting in death and murder in the course of a crime of violence.
The legal proceedings culminated in convictions for all three defendants. Demario Hunter, the man who shot Sapone, pleaded guilty and received a 25-year sentence in federal prison. Keombra James also entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to 15 years behind bars for her role in the fatal carjacking attempt. Surrayah Hill was also convicted and sentenced to a term in federal prison, bringing a measure of closure to a case that violently cut short the life of James Sapone.
