A St. Louis man has been handed a 10-year prison term after pleading guilty to charges linked to a fatal shooting incident that occurred back in December 2021. Tony Cross Jr., 28, admitted to voluntary manslaughter and armed criminal action yesterday for the death of 44-year-old Laveasha Houston, according to the St. Louis Circuit Court.
Houston was killed inside her residence in the city's Hyde Park neighborhood when Cross fired shots into the home. She had been watching television on the second floor of her house in the 1500 block of Agnes Avenue when the incident took place. Her husband subsequently heard the gunfire, witnessed Cross fleeing the scene, and then heard an a car starting. A witness described the blue car driven by Cross and later identified him in a photo lineup. Originally charged with second-degree murder, Cross' plea agreement led to an amended charge of voluntary manslaughter and the dismissal of additional counts of unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action.
The plea agreement was settled as Cross' trial was about to commence before St. Louis Circuit Judge Thomas McCarthy. During the court session on Monday, Houston's husband addressed the court, expressing profound grief but no resentment toward Cross. He's "very broken," and "very hurt," the husband told the court, but also disclosed that Cross had previously been a supportive friend, particularly after he lost his mother to Covid-19 in December 2020.
