U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp sentenced a man who was caught on camera carjacking a truck in 2020 to 27 years in prison.
James Blakemore, now 37, was convicted by a jury at a November trial of three felonies: carjacking, possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Trial evidence and testimony showed that on Sept. 16, 2020, the victim was napping in his company’s 2016 Dodge Ram at the Convention Center MetroLink Station in downtown St. Louis when Blakemore opened his door and demanded the victim’s cash, phone, and the truck at gunpoint.
Blakemore’s picture was captured by an in-car camera video recording and the truck’s location was trackable with a GPS device. When police arrived, a man jumped out of the stolen truck and ran away, but left a backpack behind with a pistol and both a debit card and EBT card in Blakemore’s name. Blakemore’s DNA was found in the truck and on the gun and the victim identified him in a photo lineup.
A sentencing memo filed by the government says Blakemore has a violent criminal history and continued to be violent while in jail awaiting trial. He has destroyed jail property and attacked a corrections officer and another inmate.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Torrie Schneider and Donald Boyce are prosecuting the case.
