ST. LOUIS – A man charged in a deadly shooting in St. Louis’ Shaw neighborhood last year was deemed unfit to stand trial during court proceedings Friday.
Kyle Stone, 21, faces first-degree murder and armed criminal action charges in connection with the death of Christopher Brennan, 47 at the time of his death. The shooting happened on May 20, 2022 in the 4000 block of Flora Place.
According to Missouri court records, a judge approved an order Friday that finds Stone incompetent to help in his defense. “The Court finds the defendant lacks the mental fitness to proceed in this cause and orders this present cause to be suspended,” a St. Louis Circuit Court document from Friday reads.
A judge had previously ordered a mental evaluation of Stone in July, and there had been several delays in prosecution leading up to Friday, per online Missouri court records. The court order means Stone will be transferred to a state mental health facility for treatment, and a progress report is expected within 30 days after an evaluation. The next steps in court remain unclear.
According to previous FOX 2 reports, a surveillance video showed Stone approaching Brennan and pointing a gun at him as Brennan took out the trash in his own backyard.
Investigators said Brennan was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene. Police tracked down Stone within 20 minutes of the shooting, and he was arrested after a brief foot chase.
Court documents further linked Stone to two separate car thefts on May 17, 2022, in the Benton Park West and Tower Grove East neighborhoods of St. Louis.
Stone had previously requested to defend himself in the murder case, per court documents.
