A St. Louis man, Ronald S. Berry, was sentenced to eight years in prison this past Wednesday for a fatal hit-and-run that occurred in early 2022. Berry, 36, entered a guilty plea to involuntary manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident, after his vehicle collided with another at the intersection of West Florissant Avenue and Riverview Boulevard, St. Louis Circuit Court records show. The crash claimed the life of Shawntae Herron, a 46-year-old mother of four.
According to an article on the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis website, the incident took place on January 12, 2022, when Berry ran a red light and struck Herron's vehicle. He then fled the scene. Berry's actions were met with a sentence handed down by St. Louis Circuit Judge Calea Stovall-Reid following his plea agreement with prosecutors.
Herron's daughter, Taira Herron, expressed her profound grief in court. As reported by the Circuit Court's news release, Taira said, "I will never be the same," she added "I hate this world."
In the same court session, Berry expressed his remorse to the bereaved family. Berry apologized to everyone he affected, saying he regrets making "the worst mistake of my life," Berry said, according to the Circuit Court's news document.
Berry's case, numbered 2422-CR00958-01, now concludes with his eight-year sentence.
