Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Death Resulting from Gun Crimes

ST. LOUIS - U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis County man to 15 years in prison after finding by a preponderance of the evidence that he used an illegally-acquired pistol to kill his pregnant girlfriend in 2017.

Darius Carter, 30, was found guilty after a three-day trial in May of two felony counts: aiding and abetting the making of false statements in the straw purchase of a firearm and conspiracy to make false statements in the straw purchase of firearm.

Witness testimony and evidence showed that Carter enlisted the help of his mother, Lynn Hooks, and his friend, Dakota Carr, to buy a gun for himself and one for his girlfriend from Piazza Jewelry and Pawn on July 14, 2017. Carter was on probation at the time and was forbidden from possessing a firearm. Carr was an employee at the pawn shop, and he, Hooks and Carter conspired to have Hooks buy the guns to get around a background check requirement and the fact that Mason was underage.

They purchased a Heckler & Koch model VP9 9mm for Carter and a .380 caliber Glock pistol for his girlfriend, Sarah Mason.

Mason, who was 20 years old and about eight months pregnant, was fatally shot in the back of the head on Oct. 31, 2017. Her daughter, Milanie, also died.

During Tuesday's hearing, evidence and testimony showed that Carter and Mason had engaged in a series of arguments about Carter's infidelity, and he was angry with her for going through his phone. She told her mother that she was moving out of the home she shared with Carter. After work that day, evidence showed Carter travelled to the area of their home in St. John, Missouri, then left. When he returned, he was missing his jacket. His prized pistol was also missing. That gun is consistent with the firearm used to murder Mason. A neighbor testified that Carter was howling and bellowing in distress when he discovered Mason's body but showed no tears or other evidence that his emotion was real. Carter also has a history of abusive and controlling behavior toward women, according to court testimony.

Judge Autrey said in court that the evidence presented Tuesday was "analogous to first-degree murder."

The 15-year sentence, consisting of 10 years for the false statement count and five years for the conspiracy count, is the maximum for each crime.

Hooks, 60, and Carr, 32, were sentenced to probation.

Both Hooks and Carr pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the making of false statements in the straw purchase of a firearm and conspiracy to make false statements in the straw purchase of firearm. They admitted that Hooks lied on a form and falsely claimed to be the guns' buyer. Carr processed that form, knowing that it contained false statements and later bought an accessory for Carter's gun using his employee discount.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. John Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Reilly and Nino Przulj prosecuted the case.