ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man admitted to eight criminal charges, some in connection with the death of a De Smet Jesuit High School football coach in 2017.
Kurt Wallace, 30, pleaded guilty to several felonies Wednesday in federal court, including,
- Four counts of carjacking
- Two counts of discharging a firearm in furtherance of carjacking
- One count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of carjacking resulting in death
- One count of jail escape
Wallace was convicted in multiple carjackings, including one that led to the death of De Smet football coach Jaz Granderson. Investigators say he shot in the early morning hours of Oct. 16, 2017, near the intersection of Minnesota Avenue and Hill Street.
Wallace was also convicted in armed carjackings from Sept. 16 and Oct. 15, 2017. Two of those ended up with the driver being shot in the shoulder or the leg. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in November that year.
In July 2019, Wallace escaped from prison. During the escape, Wallace and another inmate carjacked a vehicle, leading police on a multi-jurisdiction pursuit until Wallace crashed and flipped the vehicle.
Wednesday’s guilty pleas conclude a joint investigation into a series of violent crimes linked to Wallace and other during the fall of 2017. Wallace is one of seven people convicted amid the investigation. Others include:
- Floyd Barber, 28
- Jherrica Dixon, 30
- James Flannel, 43
- Jerell Henderson, 33
- Larenta Jones, 30
- Stephan Jones, 33
Prosecutors have recommended a sentence of 60 years in federal prison for Wallace. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 12, 2023.
