ST. LOUIS — A man convicted of killing a St. Louis police officer in 2020 was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Thursday.
Judge Elizabeth Hogan ordered Thomas Kinworthy Jr., 46, to serve two consecutive life sentences for first-degree murder and first-degree assault, adding dozens of years for robbery and other charges.
A jury this month condemned Kinworthy at the August 2020 violence related to the death of Officer Tamarris Bohannon, 29, reported St. Conviction of first-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence.
Bohannon worked for the police department for three and a half years and had a wife and three young children. He responded to a call after a gunman ordered a family out of their home and barricaded themselves inside, police said. Bohannon was shot in the head and a second officer was shot in the leg as officers searched for another person who had reportedly been shot, police said.
Bohannon’s loved ones, including his parents, sister, wife and children, read statements about the impact of his death on them.
“He should still be here,” Elizabeth Bohannon said of her son. “He was supposed to be here to experience everything life had to offer him.”
Tiffany Bautista said she learned her brother had been shot in the head shortly after she gave birth to her first child. She said she and her husband had to beg the hospital CEO to let her leave their 12-hour-old son to see his brother.
Kinworthy disputed the case and said nothing can change the events surrounding Bohannon’s death or his sentencing. He angrily interrupted the prosecutor at times when she was reading his criminal history during sentencing recommendations.
Kinworthy’s lawyer said he was suffering a psychotic episode on the day of the shooting. He said they are awaiting an appeal and are hoping for a new trial.
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