St. Louis man who claimed he didn’t remember committing a crime sentenced for beating, killing disabled woman
08/09/2024 1:43 pm PDT
ST. LOUIS (TCN) -- A 29-year-old man will spend the next two decades behind bars for kidnapping and beating a disabled woman and leaving her for dead near railroad tracks.
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office announced that Anthony Newberry pleaded guilty on Aug. 8 to second-degree murder and kidnapping in connection with Lynette Lecates' death. A judge sentenced him to 20 years in prison for the murder charge and 15 for kidnapping. Those terms will run concurrently.
According to the district attorney’s office, on May 23, 2021, Newberry and his co-defendant, Darris Williams, reportedly stole Lecates' debit card. However, they could not withdraw money because they did not have her PIN. When Lecates would not give it to them, they reportedly beat her and put her in the trunk of Newberry’s vehicle. The men drove her to a second location and hit her again. Lecates attempted to flee, but they caught her and forced her into the trunk.
The men went to a third spot and tore Lecates' dialysis port out of her chest. The men reportedly assaulted her a third time, then left her at railroad tracks. St. Louis Metro Police officers found her and transported her to a hospital. She was in a coma for two weeks before she died. Her cause of death was blunt force trauma injuries to her head.
That same morning, police reportedly found Newberry asleep in his car "with music blaring." He was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Police towed his car and discovered blood on the bumper and in the trunk. The district attorney’s office said Newberry claimed he "did not remember anything about the incident because he had blacked out while high on drugs and blamed Williams for beating Lecates."
Williams is scheduled to stand trial in October.
Newberry is also facing charges in another case for allegedly holding a corrections officer hostage.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore said, "The ruthless actions of this violent individual clearly show that he is a menace to society. We hope this sentence will provide a measure of solace to Ms. Lecates' loved ones."
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