In the early morning hours of September 24, 2022, a violent confrontation unfolded in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Saint Louis, Missouri, claiming the life of Diamond Kennell. Around 1:00 a.m., the 21-year-old female was sitting in a parked vehicle with a male companion near the intersection of Oregon Avenue and Itaska Street. The quiet of the night was shattered when her ex-boyfriend, Brandon Desean Terrell-Warren, approached the car.
He confronted the pair, initiating a physical altercation by punching the male passenger. As the situation escalated, Kennell produced a firearm, but a struggle ensued between her and Terrell-Warren. During the scuffle, Terrell-Warren managed to wrestle the weapon away from her and fired multiple shots, striking her once in the chest and twice in the head.
While the male passenger fled the immediate scene, he later reported hearing gunshots and returned to find Kennell lying in the street. First responders arrived at the 2800 block of Itaska Street, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators quickly identified 27-year-old Terrell-Warren as the suspect. He was subsequently arrested and initially charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, stealing a firearm, and fourth-degree assault. He was held without bond as the legal process began, facing the prospect of a trial for the premeditated killing of his former partner.
More than two years after the fatal shooting, the legal case against Terrell-Warren reached a conclusion without a jury trial. On November 4, 2024, just as his trial was set to commence, he entered a guilty plea to reduced charges of second-degree murder and armed criminal action. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dropped the additional charges of stealing a firearm and assault. During the sentencing hearing, Kennell's mother addressed the court and the defendant, expressing the tragic nature of the loss by stating that her daughter had loved him and that his actions were wrong. The judge sentenced Terrell-Warren to a total of 20 years in prison, imposing a 17-year term for the murder charge and a consecutive three-year term for armed criminal action.
