St. Paul man sentenced to 20 years in August homicide

Emily Baude KSTP

A St. Paul man learned his future on Tuesday after a jury convicted him of second-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm, according to court records.

Larry Rucker, 41, was sentenced by Judge Kellie Charles to 20 years in prison in St. Cloud. He will concurrently serve a five-year sentence for illegal possession of a firearm. He has credit for 324 days served.

Court documents show Rucker was convicted by a jury of two counts of second-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm on April 27. He was only sentenced for one of the murder charges.

A criminal complaint states officers responded to reports of a shooting at about 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 23, 2021, near the intersection of Albemarle and Milford Streets in St. Paul. They then found 48-year-old Demond Bingham lying beside a car with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was pronounced dead by responding medics around 10:45 p.m.

A medical examiner determined that Bingham died of a gunshot wound to the chest.

Multiple witnesses described an argument between Bingham and Rucker taking place before the gunfire.

One witness, who said she was Bingham’s boyfriend, described Rucker as a former boyfriend who was jealous of her relationship with the victim. She told police that Rucker was arguing with Bingham earlier that night. She then heard gunshots five minutes after her boyfriend left her apartment and found him lying on the ground afterward.

One of Bingham’s cousins recalled hearing him say he didn’t feel safe and that he was “being played with” because of issues with Rucker, the complaint states. When the cousin went to pick Bingham up, a man pointed out to him as Rucker was seen nearby. Bingham and his cousin began to walk in the direction of the man to confront him, but the man said he “wasn’t talking” and told them not to come any closer.

The cousin told police that he then left, but Bingham continued walking toward the man believed to be Rucker. The family member said they then saw the man “reach for something” and then heard two gunshots after he had gotten to his vehicle and drove off.

The complaint describes a surveillance video that shows three shots being fired by a person not visible in the frame. Rucker was then seen firing a fourth shot, believed to be the final shot that killed Bingham, within camera view. Rucker was seen wearing clothes that matched descriptions given by witnesses. Rucker and another man who was with him were then seen fleeing on foot.

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article spelled Rucker’s first name as “Lary” instead of “Larry”, and also stated the shooting happened in August 2022. It has since been updated to state the correct spelling and year of the crime.