On Friday, a second man was sentenced to a decade behind bars for his part in a harrowing crime that left a disabled woman dead in St. Louis's Bevo Mill neighborhood. Darris Williams, 37, accepted a plea deal, admitting to charges of involuntary manslaughter and kidnapping in connection with the 2021 killing of Lynette Lecates, Lincoln News Now reported. Originally faced with first-degree murder, amongst other charges, the plea agreement led to a significant reduction in Williams' potential sentence.
According to the FOX 2 Now coverage, the tragic events unfolded on May 23, 2021, when Williams and his co-defendant, Anthony D. Newberry, attacked Lecates, attempting to rob her of her debit card. Thwarted by the lack of a PIN, the duo resorted to abducting Lecates, confining her in the trunk of a car, and subjecting her to further assault at an industrial area before removing her dialysis port, ultimately leaving her to die.
Lecates' ordeal ended weeks later in the hospital, resulting in a coma and ensuing death on June 9, 2021. William's sentence will run concurrently, totaling 10 years for manslaughter and five for kidnapping, as per information supplied by First Alert 4. In contrast, Newberry previously received a 20-year sentence after a plea to second-degree murder and kidnapping back in August.
Adding to his criminal resume, Newberry faces additional charges stemming from an incident where he is accused of holding a 73-year-old unarmed corrections officer hostage while incarcerated at St. Louis Justice Center in August 2023, First Alert 4 reports.
