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Lawyer Alleges Racial Bias in St. Louis County Self-Defense Cases | St. Louis Metro News | St. Louis

Published

2 years ago

February 7, 2023

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Jonique Borroum used a handgun in an altercation with her roomate’s daughter. Borroum claims the shooting was in self defense.

In January 2020, Jonique Borroum, 27, was in her home in Pagedale when, according to a police report, another woman began attacking her. Borroum was in her own bedroom when she shot her alleged assailant in the jaw. In December 2021, 48-year-old Dawn Sanchez allowed a man who she had a restraining order against to come retrieve some items from her house. According to Sanchez’s attorney, Jerryl Christmas, Sanchez left the premises long enough for him to gather his things. But when Sanchez returned, he was still there. An argument ensued and, according to Christmas, Sanchez was attacked. She grabbed a knife and stabbed the man in self-defense. Both Sanchez and Borroum were in their own homes when they were attacked. Both wounded their alleged assailants. Both are now facing serious potential prison time. Christmas, who is also representing Borroum, says it’s no coincidence both women are Black. click to enlarge Courtesy Jerryl Christmas Jonique Borroum and her children.
The two cases make “a disturbing pattern of prosecution against Black women clearly in self-defense mode,” Christmas said, adding that he believes if either woman was any other race, there’s no way she would be charged. The connection between race and justifiable homicide has been the subject of numerous studies. In Stand-Your-Ground states such as Missouri, where someone has no requirement to retreat when being attacked, a homicide where a white person kills a Black person in self-defense is deemed a justifiable homicide 34 percent of the time. When a Black person kills a white person under similar circumstances, those homicides are only deemed justifiable 3 percent of the time, according to a study from John Roman at the Urban Institute. In domestic violence situations, studies have found, self-defense homicides are often found to be unjustified. Anecdotal evidence suggests even in situations where abuse was documented in the past, women, particularly Black women, have gone to prison for defending themselves, according to a study from the University of Miami. St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, whose office is prosecuting the Borroum and Sanchez cases told the RFT that two cases does not make a pattern. “We review each case on its merits and the law. Applications for charges that are dismissed are not disclosed publicly (to protect the privacy of the individual who was not charged), which include many self-defense cases,” Bell said in an email. “As a result, they are not available to be included in an assessment of trends in how this office charges cases where the suspect or defendant argues self-defense. So looking at all of the cases we charge where the defendant argues self-defense — let alone only two cases — would not provide convincing evidence of a trend.” Yesterday in court, Judge John Borbonus granted Borroum a continuance because she had recently given birth and was still breastfeeding her baby. But Christmas says that this shouldn’t be going to trial at all, arguing that it’s outrageous his client was ever charged to begin with. At the time of the shooting, Borroum was living with Tanya Morgan. Borroum shot Jasmine Morgan, Tanya’s daughter. According to the police report, a witness interviewed directly after the shooting said that Tanya “was putting…Jasmine Morgan out of the house due to ongoing feuds.” The witness said that as Jasmine was packing her things up, a confrontation erupted between her and Borroum. A scuffle ensued and “Jasmine was getting the best of [Borroum] physically,” the witness told police. The witness said that Tanya, Jasmine’s own mother, told Borroum to shoot her. The fight made its way into Borroum’s bedroom, which a police report later described as looking ransacked. At some point, Borroum got a gun. Christmas says that Jasmine was on top of Borroum when she fired, hitting Jasmine in the mouth. She lost some teeth but the bullet wound wasn’t fatal. Christmas says there are stark similarities between Borroum’s case and Sanchez’s. Both involved alleged assailants who were removing items from a house where they were no longer welcome. Both Borroum and Sanchez say that someone else was getting the better of them in a fight they hadn’t started when they used weapons to defend themselves. As of right now, Sanchez’s case is scheduled to go to trial in April. Christmas says that in Borroum’s case, prosecutors are seeking seven years of prison time. He tried to work out a deal where Borroum didn’t get any prison time, only probation, though he doesn’t think she should be charged at all. Those offers thus far have gone nowhere with the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office, he says. “Don’t tell me that if these women were any other race they’d be charged,” Christmas says. “I want my clients treated like white women.” We welcome tips and feedback. Email the author at [email protected] or follow on Twitter at @RyanWKrull. Coming soon: Riverfront Times Daily newsletter. We’ll send you a handful of interesting St. Louis stories every morning. Subscribe now to not miss a thing.Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

7 months ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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A warrant is out for a Fenton man’s arrest after he allegedly attacked his roommate with a sword.

Police say that on Sunday, Angelus Scott spoke openly about “slicing his roommate’s head” before he grabbed a sword, raised it up and then swung it down at the roommate.

The roommate grabbed Scott’s hand in time to prevent injury. When police arrived at the scene, they found the weapon used in the assault.

The sword in question was a katana, which is a Japanese sword recognizable for its curved blade.

This isn’t the first time a samurai-style sword has been used to violent effect in St. Louis. In 2018, a man hearing voices slaughtered his ex-boyfriend with a samurai sword. His mother said he suffered from schizoaffective disorder.

As for Scott, 35, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office was charged yesterday with two felonies, assault first degree and armed criminal action. The warrant for his arrest says he is to be held on $200,000 bond.

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Caught on Video, Sheriff Says He’s Ready to ‘Turn It All Over’ to Deputy

Published

7 months ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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Video of St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts taken by a former deputy suggests that the sheriff has a successor in mind to hand the reins of the department over to, even as Betts is in an increasingly heated campaign for reelection.

“I ain’t here for all this rigmarole,” Betts says in the video while seated behind his desk at the Carnahan Courthouse. “The Lord sent me here to turn this department around and I’m doing the best I can and I think I’ve done a good job. I’ve got about eight months and I’m going to qualify for my fourth pension.”

He goes on, “Right now I can walk up out of here and live happily ever after and forget about all this…and live like a king.”

The sheriff then says his wife has been in Atlanta looking at houses and that the other deputy in the room, Donald Hawkins, is someone Betts has been training “to turn it all over to him.”

Asked about the video, Betts tells the RFT, “My future plans are to win reelection on August 6th by a wide margin and to continue my mission as the top elected law enforcement official to make St. Louis safer and stronger. Serving the people of St. Louis with integrity, honor and professional law enforcement qualifications is a sacred responsibility, and I intend to complete that mission.”

The video of Betts was taken by Barbara Chavers, who retired from the sheriff’s office in 2016 after 24 years of service. Chavers now works security at Schnucks at Grand and Gravois. Betts’ brother Howard works security there, too.

Chavers tells the RFT that she was summoned to Betts’ office last week after Betts’ brother made the sheriff aware that she was supporting Montgomery. It was no secret: Chavers had filmed a Facebook live video in which she said she was supporting Betts’ opponent Alfred Montgomery in the election this fall. “Make the judges safe,” she says in the video, standing in front of a large Montgomery sign on Gravois Avenue. “They need a sheriff who is going to make their courtrooms safe.”

In his office, even as Chavers made clear she was filming him, Betts told Chavers he was “flabbergasted” and “stunned” she was supporting Montgomery.

“I don’t know what I did that would make you go against the preacher man,” he says, referring to himself. He then refers to Montgomery as “ungodly.”

Betts goes on to say that not long ago, he was walking in his neighborhood on St. Louis Avenue near 20th Street when suddenly Montgomery pulled up in his car and, according to Betts, shouted, “You motherfucker, you this, you that. You’re taking my signs down.”

Montgomery tells the RFT that he’s never interacted with Betts outside of candidate forums and neighborhood meetings.

“I don’t think anyone with good sense would do something like that to a sitting sheriff,” Montgomery says.

Montgomery has had campaign signs missing and on at least two occasions has obtained video of people tearing them down. (Chavers notes that the sign that she filmed her original Facebook video in front of is itself now missing.)

One man who lives near Columbus Square says that he recently put out two Montgomery signs, which later went missing. “If they keep taking them, I’ll keep putting them up,” he said.

Betts says he has nothing to do with the missing signs. In the video Chavers filmed in Betts’ office, Betts says that his campaign isn’t in a spot where it needs to resort to tearing down opponents’ signs.

“If you sit here long enough, a man is getting ready to come across the street from City Hall bringing me $500, today,” Betts says. “I’m getting that kind of support. I don’t need to tear down signs.”

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St. Louis to Develop First Citywide Transportation Plan in Decades

Published

7 months ago

May 21, 2024

Natural Bridge

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The City of St. Louis is working to develop its first citywide mobility plan in decades, Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office announced Tuesday. This plan seeks to make it easier for everyone — drivers, pedestrians, bikers and public transit users — to safely commute within the city.

The plan will bring together other city projects like the Brickline Greenway, Future64, the MetroLink Green Line, and more, “while establishing new priorities for a safer, more efficient and better-maintained transportation network across the City,” according to the release.

The key elements in the plan will be public engagement, the development of a safety action plan, future infrastructure priorities and transportation network mapping, according to Jones’ office.

The overarching goals are to create a vision for citywide mobility, plan a mixture of short and long-term mobility projects and to develop improved communication tools with the public to receive transportation updates. In recent years, both people who use public transit and cyclists have been outspoken about the difficulties — and dangers — of navigating St. Louis streets, citing both cuts to public transit and traffic violence.

To garner public input and participation for the plan, Jones’ office said there will be community meetings, focus groups and a survey for residents to share their concerns. The city will also be establishing a Community Advisory Committee. Those interested in learning more should check out at tmp-stl.com/

“Everyone deserves to feel safe when getting around St. Louis, whether they’re driving, biking, walking or taking public transit,” Jones said in a news release. “Creating a comprehensive transportation and mobility plan allows us to make intentional and strategic investments so that moving around St. Louis for jobs, education, and entertainment becomes easier, safer and more enjoyable.”

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