On a cold December evening in 2022, Herschell Perkins, a 60-year-old man, was working his job as a pizza delivery driver, a role that would tragically lead to his untimely death. Just before 9:30 p.m. on December 12th, Perkins arrived at the 4600 block of Whisper Lake Drive in Black Jack, a community in north St. Louis County, to deliver a Papa John's pizza.
The location, however, was a vacant apartment, a detail that would soon prove to be a fatal lure in a calculated crime.
As Perkins arrived to make the delivery, he was shot multiple times. In his final moments, he managed to call 911, stating that he had been shot and would not survive. When law enforcement arrived, they found him on a parking lot, where he succumbed to his injuries. The vibrant and special man, as described by those who knew him, was pronounced dead at the scene, leaving a void in the lives of his loved ones.
The investigation into the senseless killing soon led authorities to two young men. Wayea Hallowanger, 20, of unincorporated north St. Louis County, was identified as the individual who had ordered the pizza to the vacant apartment. Investigators discovered that after the shooting, Hallowanger had changed the number on the cellphone used to place the order. His accomplice was identified as 23-year-old Marcus Thomas of Florissant. Both men were subsequently arrested in connection with the murder.
In the ensuing legal proceedings, both Hallowanger and Thomas faced serious charges. In February 2023, Marcus Thomas was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Later, Thomas pleaded guilty to an amended charge of second-degree murder. Wayea Hallowanger was also charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. After a trial, a St. Louis County jury convicted Hallowanger on both counts in May 2024. The prosecution's case was built on the principle of accomplice liability, proving that Hallowanger had promoted or furthered the commission of the murder, regardless of who pulled the trigger. Following his conviction, Hallowanger faced a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
