Coreyon Blanks, a 17-year-old St. Louis teen, has been certified to stand trial as an adult for the murder of 22-year-old Deandre Pickens earlier this year, alongside charges of first-degree robbery and armed criminal action. KSDK reported that Blanks, who was 16 at the time of the incident, had his initial court appearance at Carnahan Courthouse on Wednesday afternoon.
According to court documents cited by FirstAlert4, the shooting occurred on Jan. 15 near a Mobil gas station located in 3500 block of Harper, and was captured on surveillance video. Taylor and another individual, JVonta K. Johnson, 24, were also charged in connection with the killing; Johnson receiving additional charges for the unlawful possession of a firearm. These documents allege that all suspects conspired to steal Pickens' car and gun the night before the fatal shooting occurred.
Blanks was reported to have been involved in planning to rob Pickens, and evidence from surveillance cameras and cellphone data placed him at the scene, as detailed by FOX2now. Police obtained a tip that implicated Blanks in the crime, and he had purchased a ticket with the intent to flee to Chicago days after the murder but was arrested before his departure.
During the incident, attackers approached Pickens' car, Blanks reached through the passenger window while Pickens was attempting to exit the vehicle. It was then that Taylor fired the fatal shot. The suspects then fled the scene in a red Infiniti, which met up with the stolen Nissan shortly after. Police also say Johnson could be seen handing a firearm from the stolen vehicle to one of the other suspects. All parties involved were arrested and charged within weeks of the event, with Blanks' arrest preceding Johnson's by a few days.
As the case moves to trial, further details and updates are expected to emerge regarding the motivations behind the robbery and the actions that led to the tragic death of Deandre Pickens.
