Man sentenced in 2017 shooting death of pregnant mother

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County man appeared in federal court on Tuesday to be sentenced in connection with the shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Darius Carter, 30, was convicted earlier this year after a preponderance of evidence showed he used an illegally acquired handgun to shoot Sarah Mason in 2017.

Mason was eight months pregnant when she was shot in the back of her head on Oct. 31, 2017, inside their St. John home. Mason was 20. The unborn child, whom Mason had named Milanie, could not be saved.

Prosecutors said Carter got his mother, Lynn Hooks, and his friend, Dakota Carr, to buy a gun for himself and Mason. Carter was on probation at the time and prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm.

Carr, who was an employee at Piazza Jewelry and Pawn, worked out an arrangement where Hooks would buy the guns to get around the required background check and a law prohibiting Mason from owning a gun because she was underage.

Hooks went to the pawn shop on July 14, 2017, and purchased a Heckler & Koch model VP9 9mm for Carter and a .380 caliber Glock pistol for Mason.

Prosecutors said Mason and Carter had ongoing arguments about Carter’s infidelity. Carter was also frustrated with Mason for going through his phone. Mason told her mother that she was moving out of their house.

Carter was found guilty in May of aiding and abetting the making of false statements in the straw purchase of a firearm and conspiracy to make false statements in the straw purchase of firearm.

A U.S. District Court judge sentenced Carter to 10 years in prison for the false statement and 5 years for the conspiracy count, with the sentences running consecutively. Prior to sentencing, the judge noted that the evidence presented was “analogous to first-degree murder.”

Carr and Hooks were each sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting the making of false statements in the straw purchase of a firearm and conspiracy to make false statements in the straw purchase of firearm.