ST. LOUIS – On Wednesday evening, a St. Louis jury found a Riverview man guilty in a 2020 homicide.
Prosecutors had sought convictions for second-degree murder and armed criminal action against defendant Deion Whalen, but jurors instead convicted Whalen of involuntary manslaughter.
Whalen, 25, said he acted in self-defense in the Sept. 26, 2020, shooting death of Victoria McBee. She was 34. The shooting happened that afternoon in the 4400 block of Lexington Avenue, located in the Greater Ville neighborhood.
Investigators with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department claimed Whalen shot McBee at during an argument after a car crash involving one of McBee’s relatives and another individual.
Whalen, who was not involved in the crash, approached the scene with what police described as an AR-style rifle and made threats. McBee was armed with a handgun, but police said she had attempted to de-escalate the dispute when Whalen shot her at point-blank range.
Whalen will be sentenced on Jan. 18, 2023.