Man sentenced to probation after accepting plea deal for role in fatal North St. Paul shooting
Police at the scene of a man's death in North St. Paul on June 19, 2023 (KSTP)
Court documents show a man who was charged with second-degree murder took a plea deal in December that saw him sentenced to probation in exchange for admitting to possession of a “ghost gun.”
Steven Lawrence Terry, 20, was convicted on Dec. 20, 2023, of possessing a gun without a serial number. He previously had a jury trial scheduled to begin on Jan. 31, 2024.
Documents show Terry was sentenced to 78 days in jail but received full credit for time served. Instead, he’s serving probation for three years and must also pay a $340 fine. The murder charge was dismissed, according to court filings.
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Police say Terry was one of the people who fled the scene of a fatal shooting at an apartment on McKnight Road in North St. Paul in June 2023.
Officers conducted surveillance on him and saw him get into an Uber with a woman, identified as his mother, Kimberly Terry.
According to a criminal complaint, officers found a handgun without a serial number in a bag between the two. It matched the ghost guns left at the murder scene. Kimberly Terry claimed the gun was hers.
The shooting resulted in the death of 24-year-old Anthony R. Rojas.
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Investigators believe the shooting was part of a targeted effort to rob Rojas of guns and cash. So far, no one has been convicted for Rojas’ murder.
Court records show Kimberly Terry has a jury trial scheduled to begin on Feb. 22, 2024. She is charged with one count of possessing a gun without a serial number.
Documents show a third person charged for the incident had their case dismissed last year due to prosecutors not having enough evidence.