18-year-old enters guilty plea in killing of teen in St. Paul

An 18-year-old on Friday pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Antwan Calvin Watson in October 2022.

According to court documents, a second count of second-degree murder filed against J’Veon Jamauri Brown will be dismissed in exchange for his guilty plea. Two other juvenile cases are also expected to be dismissed and Brown is expected to be sentenced to over 10 years (128 months) in prison.

As previously reported, St. Paul police responded to a shooting on the afternoon of Oct. 10, 2022, on the 1000 block of York Avenue.

Watson was found deceased in an alley at the scene.

As officers processed the scene, two people told them that a person known as “JB,” who police identified as Brown, was responsible for the shooting. Brown was 16 years old at the time of the murder.

According to court documents, a video from the high school the teens attended showed Brown reenacting the shooting later in the day.

Officers spoke with another student, who said he was talking with Watson and Brown, looking for a car because a friend had given them a key to it and said it was in the alley. He added that he heard Watson call for help and saw Brown shoot him.

When Brown was arrested, officers found a loaded Glock 26 handgun on his person.

When confronted with evidence, Brown admitted to shooting Watson because he thought he and the other teen were planning to rob him, court documents state.

Another teen also told police that the gun found on Brown when he was arrested belonged to Watson.