A Hyde Park resident has been convicted for the second-degree murder of his landlord, underpinning a grim resolution to what began as a rent dispute. On Friday, James Cody Jr., 30, was found guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in a case that has simultaneously disturbed and captivated the City's Hyde Park neighborhood. According to the Circuit Attorney's Office, the jury recommended 25 years imprisonment for the murder charge and an additional 10 years for armed criminal action.
The dispute between Cody and Michael Kelly, 72, was sparked by unpaid rent from Cody’s girlfriend, Deseray Rabb. Despite receiving a court order to leave the property, Rabb refused to comply. It was during this tense period that Cody started to threaten Kelly. Surveillance footage later captured Cody following his victim before committing the fatal act. The killing, as stated by St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore, was a "ruthless, targeted" act, as per the Circuit Attorney's Office.
Evidence was found linking Rabb to the scene as well, with a Nissan Sentra rented under her name discovered near the crime scene with ballistic damage hidden by duct tape. While Cody was apprehended and now faces the likelihood of a lengthy prison sentence, Rabb, his girlfriend and co-defendant, faced charges of being an accessory to first-degree murder and armed criminal action, but was ultimately acquitted by the jury.
Instruction from the jury came down on a Friday, with Cody's sentence soon-to-be finalized on June 27. The prosecutorial team—Tanja Engelhardt, Homicide Unit Chief, and Assistant Circuit Attorneys Timothy Wright and Emily Price—expressed a commitment to "relentlessly prosecute those who choose to settle disputes with gun violence to the fullest extent of the law," as noted by the Circuit Attorney's Office.
