ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A third East St. Louis, Illinois, juvenile has been certified to stand trial as an adult for a fatal shooting last year in Jennings.
According to the St. Louis County Police Department, the murder happened in the early morning hours of Jan. 6, 2024, near Emma and Apricot avenues, located along the northeastern edge of Memorial Park Cemetery.
Police found Jaimarcus McDaniel lying face down in the snow in an open field. McDaniel had been shot several times and was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 17.
Homicide detectives said McDaniel was shot twice in the head, once in the left chest, twice in the right shoulder, once in the left shoulder, once in the left thigh, and once in the right forearm.
According to investigators, McDaniel, an East St. Louis resident, was driven across the river and killed. Police reviewed license plate recognition cameras and discovered a vehicle with five individuals in it going from Illinois to Missouri, and that same vehicle returning to Illinois approximately 35 minutes later with four individuals in it.
Police said Cameron Cross accompanied three other juveniles in the car as they picked McDaniel up from his home, drove him to Jennings, and killed him.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Cross with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Cross remains jailed on a $1 million cash-only bond.
Cross is due in court for a bond reduction hearing on Feb. 11 and a preliminary hearing on March 5.
Two other juvenile suspects, Corey Brinkley and Mar’Kevion Lemons, have already been certified as adults and charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.