On the night of August 21, 2022, authorities in St. Louis, Missouri, responded to a report of a shooting in the Dutchtown neighborhood. Upon arriving at the scene in the 3600 block of Montana Street just after 9:30 p.m., officers discovered the body of 23-year-old male Deionta McCurry located in an alleyway. He was found suffering from fatal gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators determined that the violence stemmed from an interpersonal dispute between
McCurry and an acquaintance regarding the division of proceeds from stolen catalytic converters. Police identified the suspect as Cleveland V. Washington Jr., who was 22 years old at the time of his sentencing. During the legal proceedings, the defense argued that the shooting was an act of self-defense, claiming that McCurry had attempted to rob Washington. However, prosecutors maintained that the killing was criminal in nature, resulting from the argument over money.
In June 2024, a jury convicted Washington of second-degree murder and armed criminal action. Several months later, in October 2024, a St. Louis Circuit Court judge sentenced him to a total of 45 years in prison. The sentence was structured to include 30 years for the murder charge and a consecutive 15 years for the armed criminal action charge.
Following his arrest and during his incarceration, Washington faced additional legal trouble. He was accused of participating in a violent incident at the City Justice Center in August 2023, where he and other inmates allegedly held a 73-year-old corrections officer hostage for approximately two hours. This secondary case remained pending at the time of his sentencing for the death of Deionta McCurry.
