In the summer of 2016, a respected elementary school principal's life was tragically cut short in a violent encounter with a former partner. Jacara Sproaps, a 38-year-old female, was shot and killed on July 13, 2016, in the Gravois Park neighborhood of south St. Louis, Missouri. She was a dedicated educator, serving as the principal of Dunbar Elementary School, where she had been a champion for children for over a decade.
On that Wednesday evening, after 10 p.m., Sproaps was with her
boyfriend, 40-year-old Maurice Partlow, near her home. Her ex-boyfriend, Maurice Hoskins, 40, approached the couple, and an argument ensued. Hoskins, who had reportedly been harassing Sproaps since she ended their relationship, pulled out a gun. A struggle over the weapon followed, during which Partlow was shot twice in the head.
As the tragic events unfolded, Sproaps and her 18-year-old son attempted to flee. Hoskins pursued them, firing his weapon and striking Sproaps in the back of the head. Her son was also shot in the back as he tried to help his mother, who had collapsed in an alley. He sustained critical injuries but survived the attack. When police officers arrived at the scene, Hoskins fired at them, grazing one officer in the leg before he was apprehended after a brief foot chase.
Maurice Hoskins was subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder, five counts of armed criminal action, and two counts of assault against a law enforcement officer. In February 2019, to avoid a trial, Hoskins accepted a plea deal. The murder charges were reduced to second-degree murder, and he pleaded guilty to those as well as three counts of first-degree assault and five counts of armed criminal action. As a result of the plea agreement, Maurice Hoskins was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 20 years.
