St. Louis County Man Admits Fatally Shooting Acquaintance Before Stealing Drugs

ST. LOUIS -A man pleaded guilty Monday to three felony charges and admitted shooting a sleeping acquaintance in the head in a St. Louis County, Missouri home before stealing his jewelry and drugs.

Terry W. Winebarger, 52, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime resulting in death and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Winebarger admitted fatally shooting an acquaintance, referred to in the indictment as "J.S.," in the head with J.S.'s 10mm Glock handgun on Feb. 18, 2023, in a home in Hanley Hills. Winebarger then stole the victim's gun, jewelry and some methamphetamine that J.S. had bought earlier. J.S. was asleep when he was shot.

Winebarger had been picked up in Overland, Missouri, by the victim and his roommate earlier in the evening. Investigators later apprehended Winebarger leaving a bar.

Winebarger is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 30, 2024.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the St. Louis County Police Department, the Major Case Squad and the North County Police Cooperative investigated the case, with assistance from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the St. Charles County Police Department.