Jurors in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis have found two men guilty of charges connected to a series of carjackings in the city. The verdict was delivered on Wednesday.
The trial presented evidence and testimony showing that Quinn Turner and Jaylen Mays were involved in stealing a 2007 Chevrolet Impala at gunpoint on November 11, 2022, followed by a 2017 GMC Terrain two days later. Additionally, Mays, along with others, stole a 2015 Malibu at gunpoint on November 5, 2022, in downtown St. Louis. Turner drove this vehicle with Mays and a juvenile passenger to a gas station located at Russell Boulevard and South 7th Street in the Soulard neighborhood, where they took the GMC Terrain. Detectives from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department's Anti-Crime Task Force used spike strips to stop the Malibu as it left the gas station and apprehended Turner, Mays, and the juvenile.
Turner, aged 22, and Mays, aged 27, both residents of East St. Louis, Illinois, were each convicted of two counts of carjacking with intent to cause death or serious bodily harm and two charges related to possession and brandishing of a firearm during a crime of violence. Mays faced an additional carjacking charge.
The trial commenced on Monday. Sentencing for Turner and Mays is set for June 18. The carjacking offenses could result in up to 15 years in prison per count while the firearm charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years.
The investigation was conducted by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department alongside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Martin and Jennifer Szczucinski are handling prosecution duties for this case.