In the early morning hours of October 16, 2017, the St. Louis community suffered the loss of 27-year-old Jaz Loron Granderson, a beloved assistant football coach at De Smet Jesuit High School. Granderson, an African American male who had previously played football at the University of Northern Iowa and Lindenwood University, was targeted in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of South St. Louis.
He had arrived in the 300 block of Hill Street under the impression he was meeting a woman he had connected with through a dating app. Instead, he was ambushed in a calculated carjacking scheme designed to strip him of his vehicle and possessions.
During the confrontation, Granderson was shot in the stomach by an assailant who then fled the scene in the victim’s 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Witnesses in the area reported hearing the gunshot followed by the sound of a vehicle speeding away. Granderson was found wounded near a residence where he had sought help, pounding on a window before collapsing. He was transported to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries, leaving behind a grieving community and a legacy of mentorship through his 'Grand Camp' foundation for young athletes.
Investigators soon linked Granderson's murder to a broader pattern of violent carjackings plaguing the area. The probe revealed that the dating app profile was a trap set by 23-year-old Jherrica Dixon, who lured men to specific locations where her associates would lie in wait. The authorities identified Kurt Wallace, 25, as the gunman responsible for Granderson's death, along with another accomplice, Floyd Barber, 22, who was involved in the ring of armed robberies. The group had carried out similar attacks in the weeks leading up to Granderson's murder, shooting other victims who luckily survived.
Legal proceedings against the suspects were extensive and dramatic. All three were indicted on federal charges related to carjacking and firearms offenses. While awaiting trial, Kurt Wallace managed to escape from a jail facility in July 2019, leading police on a high-speed chase before crashing a stolen vehicle and being recaptured. In the years following, the defendants admitted their roles in the crimes. Floyd Barber was sentenced to 22 years in prison, and Jherrica Dixon received a 19-year sentence for her role in the setup. In early 2024, Kurt Wallace, having pleaded guilty to charges including carjacking resulting in death and escape from custody, was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison.
