ST. LOUIS – A man from Sauget, Illinois, reached a plea agreement with the St. Louis prosecutors on Tuesday and admitted to killing a man in Soulard last year.
The murder happened just after 2:10 a.m. on Jan. 7, 2023, at a gas station in the 1300 block of Gravois Avenue.
Police found the victim, Jesse Lopez, unconscious in the parking lot. He’d been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene. Lopez was 24.
Investigators reviewed the station’s surveillance video and saw Lopez try and steal Brett Kress’ SUV. Kress went after Lopez and shot him three times as Lopez fled.
Kress, 28, was scheduled to face trial next week for first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, and armed criminal action. However, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office agreed to amend the murder charge in exchange for Kress’ guilty plea.
A St. Louis Circuit Court judge sentenced Kress to 15 years in state prison.
