Belleville man found guilty of first-degree murder

A Belleville man has been found guilty of the fatal 2017 shooting of Mario A. King in East St. Louis.

A St. Clair County jury found Lester D. Jones, 33, guilty of first-degree murder on Wednesday.

Jones was charged in January 2017 with shooting King, 38, in the neck in King’s apartment in the John DeShields Homes public housing complex at 1235 McCasland Ave. King was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jones faces a potential life sentence, with a 45-year minimum term based on the sentencing enhancement for discharge of a firearm while committing the offense, according to St. Clair County States Attorney James Gomric.

His sentencing has been set for Sept. 5. He will be held at the St. Clair County Jail until then.

This story was originally published July 24, 2019 at 4:07 PM.

Hana Muslic

Belleville News-Democrat

618-239-2626

Hana Muslic has been a public safety reporter for the Belleville News-Democrat since August 2018, covering everything from crime and courts to accidents, fires and natural disasters. She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Journalism and her previous work can be found in The Lincoln Journal-Star and The Kansas City Star.