A man pleaded guilty to five felony charges Monday and admitted being involved in a conspiracy believed responsible for 21 carjackings in the St. Louis area.
Detrich Lamon Williams Jr., 20, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk to all five charges he is facing: carjacking conspiracy, two counts of carjacking, brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Williams admitted as part of his plea that he was among a group of teenagers from the Castle Point neighborhood in St. Louis County that was involved in a series of carjackings in St. Louis and St. Louis County between July and October of 2020. Police believe the group committed a total of 21 carjackings, Williams’ plea says.
In many of the carjackings, Williams got out of a car driven by someone else and stole the victims’ vehicles at gunpoint. Several victims said the carjacker used a pistol with a green laser sight.
In his plea, Williams admitted stealing a Toyota Camry at gunpoint on Aug. 17, 2020 and then leading police on a high-speed chase that began in St. Louis and ended near Castle Point only after police used spike strips to disable the Camry.
On Sept. 26, 2020, Williams and another person, who was armed with a pistol, stole a 2017 Volvo S60 sedan from a pizza delivery driver.
On Oct. 11, 2020, Williams approached a woman who had just parked and exited her vehicle at the South County Mall, fired a shot in the air, and stole the woman’s purse and 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee, he admitted in his plea.
Later that same day, Williams was with three others in St. Louis when they spotted a Jeep Cherokee. Williams and the driver stayed in the vehicle while the others confronted the owner of the Jeep, and one of the others shot the Jeep’s owner before the group fled, Williams’ plea says.
Williams’ sentencing has been set for January 31. He faces at least 17 years in prison for the brandishing and discharge counts, due to their mandatory minimum sentences, which will be consecutive to the other three charges.
The case was investigated by the Webster Groves Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Boyce is prosecuting the case.
