St. Louis Man Sentenced to 47 Years in Prison for Carjackings, Fatal Fentanyl Sale

ST. LOUIS - U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a St. Louis man to 47 years in prison for his involvement in two carjackings, an attempted carjacking and the sale of fentanyl that killed a woman in 2023.

In January, jurors in U.S. District Court in St. Louis convicted Bobby Lee Jones, 27, of one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death. Evidence and testimony during his trial showed that he sold the fentanyl that killed an 18-year-old woman in 2023. The victim was seeking marijuana. Jones agreed to sell her marijuana and offered her what he claimed was the pain pill Percocet, evidence shows. The pills were manufactured to resemble Percocet but actually contained fentanyl. The victim took one of the pills and her boyfriend found her dead the next day.

The victim's mother, aunt, friend and a family friend spoke at the sentencing hearing Thursday. In a letter, her best friend called the victim "beautiful, unforgettable, and full of life."

In December, Jones pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking. He admitted driving his nephew, Labron Collins, and a juvenile, to the scene of a carjacking in the 4100 block of Botanical Avenue in St. Louis on Jan. 25, 2023. Collins and the teen then stole a 2012 Honda Civic at gunpoint.

At Thursday's sentencing hearing, Judge Clark found by a preponderance of the evidence that Jones was involved in another carjacking and an attempted carjacking. Evidence and testimony showed that Jones and the two others tried to steal a 2022 Dodge Charger an hour before the Civic carjacking. Collins and the juvenile began shooting when the Charger's driver started to drive off, shattering a rear window and striking her in the back, evidence showed. Later, they were driving and struck the rear of a 2011 Infiniti G37 and then carjacked that driver. Several hours after the owner of the Charger was shot, police pulled over a car in which Jones was a passenger. One of the guns used in the shooting was located under Jones' seat. Police later found the Infiniti parked behind Jones' mother's house.

Jones instigated the crimes and used his 18-year-old nephew and the juvenile to commit them to avoid liability, a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski says. He also has a significant criminal history, the memo says. At 18, police caught Jones with cocaine base and a firearm, the memo says. At 20, they caught him in a carjacked vehicle after a chase and less than three months after his release from custody, he carjacked a BMW and was caught with another gun shortly thereafter, the memo says.

Judge Clark sentenced Jones to 45 years in prison for the fentanyl and carjacking cases and two years for violating his supervised release in a 2019 case in which he pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Collins, now 21, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty to five counts of carjacking and three charges of possession or brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He admitted the two carjackings and one attempted carjacking that he committed with Jones. He also admitted carjacking a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta on February 11 and a 2013 Acura TL and a 2014 Honda Civic, the next day. He is serving a 15-year prison sentence.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Szczucinski and Nicholas Lake prosecuted the case.