ST. LOUIS – The grandmother of a murdered teen fears charges will be dropped against the alleged killers.
It’s a case she says was blown by the previous St. Louis Circuit Attorney.
After a meeting with prosecutors, Brenda Mahr told us, “Sometimes you’ve got to give it up.”
Mahr’s granddaughter, Isis Aaliyah Mahr, was killed in the crossfire of a drive by shooting in October 2021.
Jalin Jefferson, 18, and Corey Hardy, 19, both face first-degree murder charges, as of the date of this report. But Mahr just found out the two defendants, who were supposed to stand trial this month, could be released Friday.
“So many mistakes were made, I think initially, in the case,” Mahr said, “…that I don’t know there’s anymore the prosecutor can do at this point.”
The criminal court record is filled with evidence of judicial neglect under Kim Gardner’s administration. A January 2023 court order includes a judge’s warning: “…the court is considering sanctions…for not disclosing evidence in a timely manner.”
Mahr’s granddaughter’s case is the third in seven days we’ve reported has been jeopardized by prosecutorial mistakes under the previous circuit attorney.
The Bewigs were devastated by a plea deal last Thursday because of witness problems in their son’s murder; problems that developed as the case was about five years old.
An alleged I-70 shooter was released from jail last Friday because of witness problems in another case that dragged on for five years.
Gabe Gore acknowledged in a news conference, “…and so you do have those problems that are created by the backlog.”
The incoming circuit attorney says his six weeks of changes are making a difference for future cases, adding, “What we’re doing on our cases is we’re making charging decisions on cases on the day they are submitted.” He continued, “You’ve got to operate that way. You’ve got to make your charging decision very timely.”
He says he’s been able to reduce the backlog that existed at his swearing in – from 4,500 pending warrant applications down to 2,000.
Gore says he’s accomplished it partly by hiring 14 additional prosecutors while accepting assistance from other jurisdictions.
Mahr says she’s at least thankful the new administration brought her in personally to tell her that her granddaughter’s murder case may have been blown.
“I am concerned for my safety now that they’ll be out, and my family’s safety, and so the last thing that I said to the group upstairs was if something happens to me, you should know where it comes from,” she said.
She’s the very face of why the new administration intends to do better. Circuit Attorney Gore said he feels he’s nearly stabilized the office to make it affective again, but he added, “Our work in getting the office where it needs to be will never be done.”