Tyrone Miller was sentenced to 25 years in prison after admitting to shooting a 52-year-old woman in the face during a parking lot robbery on March 3, 2023, in St. Peters.
According to St. Charles County Prosecutor Joe McCulloch, Miller attacked the woman and her husband as they loaded groceries into their trunk at the Schnucks store at Highway 94 and Jungermann Road.
“And this man appeared out of nowhere and tried to rob her, and when she resisted a little bit, he shot her in the face,” McCulloch said, adding that Miller was stealing to buy drugs and displayed a “lack of concern that he had for the victim because he was just out robbing people to get drug money.”
According to McCulloch, the 25-year term under the plea agreement is five years less than Miller would face if convicted at trial, but it ensures a quick conviction without the possibility of post-conviction proceedings.
“In order to get five years less, he had to admit what he did, and he waived his right to any appeals,” said McCulloch. “So, this is something that we don’t have to worry about seven years down the road.”
Speaking off camera, the 55-year-old victim stated that she is still dealing with physical and emotional pain, as well as a bullet and shrapnel lodged in her brain.
She noted that the assault has disrupted her family and friends’ daily routines and that her emotional pain will last beyond Miller’s sentence.
“My family and friends have also been affected. Some people avoid going to the supermarket after dark. Some never go anywhere alone or unarmed at night,” the victim stated.
Miller apologized in court before deputies escorted him away to begin his sentence.
Miller apologized to the victim, his mother, and his small daughter, all of whom were in attendance during the court.
Miller acknowledged in court that he accepted all responsibility for his poor choices.
Miller reportedly avoided law enforcement for days after the shooting while committing more crimes in suburban retail centers, including a Walmart parking lot in Chesterfield.
Authorities tracked Miller using license plate scanners, which identified a rental car linked to his movements and led them to an extended-stay motel in O’Fallon, Illinois.
“There was a bit of a manhunt for a while, and he committed some crimes in other places before he got caught by one of the municipalities over in St. Louis County,” McCulloch reported.
Leave a Reply