ST. LOUIS – A U.S. District Court judge sentenced a St. Louis man Wednesday for his role in a 2019 fatal carjacking that was caught on camera.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Jalen Simms pleaded guilty on Aug. 1, 2022, to one count of attempted carjacking resulting in death.

The incident took place just after 6 a.m. on June 3, 2019, in the 3000 block of Rauschenbach Avenue, located in the St. Louis Place neighborhood.

Simms admitted that he and another man attempted to carjack Jabari Clark as he slept in the driver’s seat of his 2012 Dodge Ram truck. Prosecutors said Simms went to the driver’s side of the truck, while his co-conspirator went to the passenger side. Both men were armed.

Simms tried to pull Clark from the truck at gunpoint, but Clark fought back. During the struggle, Simms’ associate fired several shots, hitting Clark. Both suspects fled.

Prosecutors said Clark staggered from the truck and collapsed on his front lawn and died. His family attempted to administer first aid, but was unable to save him.

Investigators were able to obtain surveillance video of the incident, and Simms dropped a phone charging cord with his DNA on it.

Simms opted to plead guilty rather than proceed with a trial. The judge sentenced Simms to 25 years in federal prison. That sentence will run consecutive to any punishment Simms receives for a pending homicide case in St. Louis County, an arson in Ste. Genevieve County, and an aggravated assault in Madison County, Illinois.