ST. LOUIS – A Georgia man appeared in St. Louis Circuit Court on Thursday and admitted to gunning a man down in the city’s Academy neighborhood more than two years ago.
Vernell Julion, 21, was shot and killed on July 21, 2022, in the 1100 block of North Kingshighway Boulevard.
Police said Darius Griffin, now 33, was parked outside Pop’s Fish and Chicken Market waiting for Julion. Griffin believed Julion was responsible for killing his 16-year-old cousin two weeks prior.
Investigators said Griffin watched and waited until Julion appeared alone in an alley behind a building. Griffin donned a blue ski mask and got out of his car with an AK-47.
Griffin chased after Julion and shot him 18 times. The entire incident was captured on surveillance cameras.
Griffin later admitted he was the shooter after being shown stills from the surveillance video.
“Revenge killings merely perpetuate violence and are indicative of a lack of faith in our criminal justice system,” St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore said.
Griffin pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action. A St. Louis Circuit Court judge sentenced Griffin to 20 years in prison for murder and an additional three years for armed criminal action.
