Man convicted in 2009 downtown robbery-shooting

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

It took a Cole County jury a little over an hour to find a St. Louis man guilty in connection with an October 2009 robbery and shooting.

Patrick Harris, also known as Patrick Evans, 38, was found guilty of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Cole County Presiding Judge Pat Joyce ordered a sentence advisory report to be done before the final sentence against Harris is handed down. No date has been set.

According to police reports, the robbery occurred on the night of Oct. 13, 2009, at 611 E. Capitol Ave.

Harris was shot by one of the victims in the robbery, Justin Schnieders, who acted in self-defense, authorities said.

After he was shot, Harris hid in an apartment above where the shooting occurred while authorities looked for him. Harris was not found until the next day when a blood trail helped lead authorities to the apartment.

During testimony Tuesday, several members of the Jefferson City Police Department told jurors how they had been involved in finding Harris in the apartment.

They testified that Harris had a bloody hand, wrapped in a towel, and that they had found several areas of blood throughout the apartment.

Officers also located a gun, hidden between a mattress and boxspring, that was believed to have been used in the crime.

Harris was questioned by officers after he was found in the apartment and later at the police department where, according to the officers, he eventually admitted to committing the crime.

All the officers were asked by Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson if they could identify Harris in the courtroom and each did.

Richardson also called on a Missouri Highway Patrol lab technician who tested several pieces of evidence where blood was found and said the results indicated the blood was consistent with Harris’s blood.

Harris’s attorney, public defender Jan King, argued there was not enough identification evidence to convict his client.

He pointed out that only one of the victims of the crime who testified Monday could identify Harris as the perpetrator.

King said that was not a dependable identification, especially if only the suspect’s eyes could be seen and the rest of his face was covered by a bandana or scarf.

Harris did not testify in his own defense and King called no witnesses during the trial.

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Bucky 2 years, 4 months ago

Glad he was convicted. I hope he never walks the streets again. He is a menace to all law abiding people.

Festus_Hagen 2 years, 4 months ago

Chalk one up for the good guys, this could have been alot worse.

gofish 2 years, 4 months ago

Judge Joyce, please give this criminal the harshest sentence possible. He is a repeat offender and a violent criminal Please DO NOT afford him the opportunity to victimize even one more person. The next victim(s) may be a fatality. He didn't just victimize the person he shot, he victimized all of the people that he robbed that night. Send a message to all would be armed robbers in our city. That they will be held accountable to the FULLEST extent of the law.

missjeffcity 2 years, 4 months ago

This a whole new tune Now if you talk to some of the people I have spoke with when she was the Judge for Child Custody Cases. She was the worst & I'm scared that it's going to come back on her if she doesn't as you call it Buck Up. Quick!!!

MK 2 years, 4 months ago

I'll be surprised if she doesn't go kind of easy on the guy. If I remember correctly, she gave a guy probation who went into someone's home, took them to the ATM at gunpoint and robbed them. She also gave probation to a person who went into a home in Russellville that had several teens inside, robbed them, beat one or more and the thug was already on probation. He was allowed to walk free right back into the community with no prison sentence at all. Just a hope that he won't do that sort of thing again.

Those are two cases I know of personally. I wouldn't doubt there are more. People who inflict this kind of violence on others, especially when they do so with a weapon, need to be locked away for a long long time.

JCLifer 2 years, 4 months ago

Too bad he wasn't smoking a joint when pulled the handgun. Having a little pot on his person would have resulted in at least 25 years of hard time.

missjeffcity 2 years, 4 months ago

Oh I Know these people are all backwards. I used to smoke once in awhile but When I got to beating them at there own game it wasn't any fun anymore. You see they are not scared of a Loaded Joint but something with a bullet in it & You are walking.

missjeffcity 2 years, 4 months ago

I would have liked to be in that Room that day!

gofish 2 years, 4 months ago

That's my biggest concern, because Judge Joyce has consistently been soft on crime. I don't know if it's because she's too empathetic to hard luck stories or if handing out prison time makes her feel guilty. Whatever it is, she needs to buck up and put this character where he belongs...for the rest of his life.

missjeffcity 2 years, 4 months ago

I don't know if you know who your talking about. That woman doesn't feel Guilty about anything. I forsee some things coming down that are not going to be pretty. I actually believe we need another Judge to help out with the case loads though.

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