Metro-east woman sent to prison for role in botched carjacking that ended in murder
An East St. Louis woman was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison Wednesday for her part in a carjacking and shooting that resulted in the death of a man in downtown St. Louis.
Surrayah Hill, 24, pleaded guilty on Jan. 26 to a felony charge that she aided in the deadly carjacking that occurred shortly after 9 p.m. on March 18, 2019. She was driving the car that transported the shooter to the Cherokee Street location where the crime occurred and away from the scene when the carjacking failed.
According to the federal complaint filed in the U.S. Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, James Sapone, 48, had used the remote start on his 2013 Ford Escape to take his fiance to dinner. As he began to open the driver’s side door, Sapone was confronted by Demario Hunter, who wielded a loaded handgun and demanded the car.
As a third person, Keombra James, 28, approached the passenger side of the Ford, Sapone began fighting with Hunter, who fired his gun once, hitting Sapone in the torso.
“Hunter had a grip on Sapone’s clothing, and tried to keep Sapone from getting close enough for Sapone to punch Hunter,” the federal complaint said. “Sapone repeatedly grabbed at and swung towards Hunter’s face. After a few seconds of Hunter and Sapone struggling with each other, Hunter shot his handgun once, striking Sapone in the torso. Sapone immediately lost consciousness and fell to the ground.”
He was later transported to a St. Louis hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Security camera footage from Cherokee Street captured images of Hill’s car at the scene, and cellphone location data corroborated that Hunter was with her at the time of the shooting, court records state.
Sapone’s fiance, identified in court records as A.S., identified James during a police department lineup. James’ hand print also was found near the driver’s side door of Sapone’s car.
As part of her plea, Hill admitted she knew Hunter and James intended to commit a robbery and that Hunter was carrying a weapon.
“Co-Defendant James and Co-defendant Hunter had previously met and spoken about robberies at Hill’s residence in the past,” court documents state. “On March 18, 2019, Hunter called James and asked if she was still willing to participate in a robbery. They picked up James from her apartment in southern St. Louis City. The three defendants then drove, in Hill’s vehicle, to Cherokee Street in St. Louis, a spot known for bars and restaurants where the defendants knew they would find robbery targets.”
On Dec. 15, Hunter pleaded guilty to shooting Sapone and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. James, 28, also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years.
This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 5:19 PM.