ʶٴշOctober 3, 2023: Buckingham pleaded guilty on Oct. 2, 2023 to second-degree murder, armed criminal action and evidence tampering and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY — A man was charged Tuesday in the shooting death of a University City woman found dead inside a car Monday morning with her infant nearby.
Andrew Buckingham, 31, was charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution. He was being held on $1 million bond.
The woman he's accused of killing was identified earlier Tuesday as Sharita Brooks, 30, of the 1000 block of Pennsylvania Avenue.
Police say Buckingham on Monday went to Brooks' home and had her drive him, with Brooks' 8-month-old daughter in tow, to the 1600 block of Claudine Drive in Spanish Lake. During the trip, police say Brooks called a friend and said she did not feel safe.
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Moments later, police say, Buckingham shot Brooks multiple times in the head. She was found in the driver's seat of the car, with the car in park and the engine still running, at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Court records show there is DNA evidence and at least one witness in the case.
Brooks' daughter, still in the car when police arrived, was taken to a hospital for examination but did not appear to be injured, county police officer Tracy Panus said.
Police ask anyone with information to call Ƶ County police at 636-529-8210 or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477.
Kim Bell and Rachel Rice of the Post-Dispatch staff contributed to this report.