ST. LOUIS – A Riverview man convicted of fatally shooting a woman in a dispute over a car crash has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

A judge sentenced Deion A. Whalen, 25, to ten years in prison for an involuntary manslaughter charge and another ten years for armed criminal action. The sentences will run concurrently, and Whalen has been credited for the two-plus years he already spent in jail.

Investigators say Whalen shot Victoria McBee, 34, during an argument after a crash involving one of McBee’s relatives and another person. Police say Whalen shot McBee at point-blank range in the 4400 block of Lexington Avenue on Sept. 26, 2020.

Whalen, who was not involved in the crash, approached the scene with what police described as an AR-style rifle and made threats. McBee was armed with a handgun, but police said she had attempted to de-escalate the dispute before Whalen shot her.

Prosecutors had sought convictions for second-degree murder and armed criminal action against defendant Deion Whalen, but jurors instead convicted Whalen of involuntary manslaughter.

In a recent letter to a circuit judge, Whalen requested leniency, noting that he is a father of four and that he went to trial “to prove my innocence not to waste the court’s time.” During trial, Whalen claimed he acted in self-defense.