ST. LOUIS — A man was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison for killing another man outside of a south St. Louis gas station.

James W. Brown Jr. pleaded guilty to murder in the death of Samuel Reece, who was shot Sept. 27, 2020, while riding his bicycle on South Broadway.

Detectives wrote in court documents that Brown and another man, Khalif D. Henderson, shot Reece in retaliation for a prior domestic incident.

But Brown's lawyer, Neil Barron, said in an interview Thursday that there was evidence to suggest his client acted in self-defense.

Brown's ex-girlfriend had said during a deposition that Reece was reaching for his waistband before he was shot, Barron said.

But in an agreement with prosecutors, Brown also pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a gun and unlawful us

See Full Page