Jason Ginn, a 32-year-old Black male, was a resident of Saint Joseph, Missouri, whose life ended violently on the afternoon of August 1, 2015. On that Saturday, police officers were dispatched to the 300 block of South 15th Street following reports of gunfire. Upon arrival, authorities and neighbors discovered Ginn’s body lying in the street. He had sustained fatal gunshot wounds, and despite the immediate response, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The incident occurred in broad daylight, shocking the local community and launching an immediate homicide investigation by the St. Joseph Police Department.
Investigators quickly identified a suspect in the shooting as Charles L. Coats Jr., also known as Charlie Coats. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Coats fled the scene and managed to evade capture for several days. As police searched for him, he eventually traveled to Columbia, Missouri. Five days after the murder, Coats walked into the Columbia Police Department and surrendered to authorities, ending the manhunt. He was subsequently taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with Ginn's death.
The case went to trial in May 2017 in Buchanan County, where prosecutors presented compelling evidence against Coats. A key piece of evidence shown to the jury was a cell phone video that captured the shooting. The footage depicted Coats chasing Ginn, who was running away, and firing seven shots. Prosecutors argued that the video clearly demonstrated that Ginn was unarmed and fleeing for his life when he was gunned down, characterizing the act as cold-blooded murder. The prosecution noted that Ginn was shot in the back, effectively dismantling the defense's claims.
During the proceedings, Coats’s defense attorney argued that his client had acted in self-defense, claiming that Coats believed Ginn was reaching for a weapon concealed in his waistband. Coats himself had insisted that he feared for his life due to Ginn’s alleged reputation. However, witnesses at the scene testified that Ginn did not have a gun, and the physical evidence supported the prosecution's narrative that the victim was retreating when he was killed. After deliberating for approximately two hours, the jury returned a guilty verdict, convicting Charles Coats of first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
