Mann admits eight charges, some of which relate to the death of football coach De Smet

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man has admitted to eight criminal charges, some related to the 2017 death of a De Smet Jesuit High School football coach.

Kurt Wallace, 30, pleaded guilty to several crimes in federal court on Wednesday, including:

• Four counts of car theft
• Two counts of discharging a firearm in furtherance of carjacking
• In one case, the discharge of a firearm during a car theft resulted in death
• A prison escape charge

Wallace was convicted of several carjackings, including one that resulted in the death of De Smet football coach Jaz Granderson. Investigators say he shot in the early morning hours of Oct. 16, 2017, near the intersection of Minnesota Avenue and Hill Street.

Wallace was also convicted of armed carjackings on September 16 and October 15, 2017. In two of them, the driver was shot in the shoulder or leg. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in November of that year.

In July 2019, Wallace escaped from prison. During the escape, Wallace and another occupant carjacked a vehicle and led police on a multi-jurisdictional chase until Wallace crashed and overturned the vehicle.

Wednesday’s guilty pleas conclude a joint investigation into a series of violent crimes involving Wallace and others in the fall of 2017. Wallace is one of seven people convicted in the investigation. Others include:

• Floyd Barber, 28
• Jherrica Dixon, 30
• James Flannel, 43
• Jerell Henderson, 33
• Larenta Jones, 30
• Stephen Jones, 33

Prosecutors have recommended a sentence of 60 years in federal prison for Wallace. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 12, 2023.