ST. LOUIS 鈥 A 狐狸视频 man was found not guilty on Wednesday of killing a 15-year-old boy in 2019.
Though Brian Potter, 50, was not accused of shooting 15-year-old Sentonio Cox, prosecutors argued that Potter was guilty because he told another man, Joseph Renick, 57, to 鈥渟hoot this piece of (expletive)鈥 before Sentonio was killed.
Jurors in 狐狸视频 disagreed, and Potter was found not guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Renick鈥檚 trial is set for October.
Police said the men backed Cox into a vacant lot in the 7300 block of Vermont Avenue in August 2019 after catching him and his teenage cousin looking into cars on the block.
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The state鈥檚 evidence at trial rested almost entirely on the testimony of a woman who was at a Vermont Avenue home the morning Sentonio was killed. Amanda Crowell, whom authorities arrested last week to compel her testimony, said she heard Potter order Renick to shoot the boy.
Defense lawyer Travis Noble argued that outside of Crowell鈥檚 testimony, there was no evidence Potter told Renick to shoot, or even that he knew Renick had a gun.
鈥淣obody on the street heard this,鈥 Noble said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the phrase that Amanda Crowell says she heard. That鈥檚 why (Potter鈥檚) sitting here today.鈥
Sentonio鈥檚 cousin ran when they were confronted, but Sentonio retreated with his hands up. Authorities said Renick then fired one shot from a revolver, killing Sentonio with a shot to the head from at least 50 feet away.
Prosecutor Marvin Teer argued that Potter fled the scene after the shooting and that Renick warned others inside the home not to call police. Neither man took any action that might have helped save the boy鈥檚 life, he claimed.
鈥淭hey killed a child for nothing,鈥 Teer said. 鈥淔or nothing.鈥
Sentonio was among dozens of children or teens 17 and younger killed in the 狐狸视频 region in 2019.
This week鈥檚 trial had several testy exchanges between Noble and Teer, with multiple interruptions and objections.
On cross-examination, Noble attacked Crowell鈥檚 inconsistent statements about whether she was inside or outside the house when she heard Potter鈥檚 statement. Noble questioned why she lied under oath by pleading guilty to drug charges in St. Charles County but later claimed under oath that she didn鈥檛 commit those crimes. She admitted lying but blamed her lawyer for pressuring her to plead guilty 鈥渦nder duress.鈥
Noble claimed Crowell, who鈥檇 been on probation at the time, had 鈥渂ad blood鈥 with Potter and claimed Potter told Renick to shoot to avoid trouble with her parole officer and possibly going back to prison.
鈥淚t is obviously tragic that a 15-year-old was killed,鈥 Noble said after the verdict. 鈥淲e thank the jury for recognizing that convicting an innocent man is not justice.鈥