ST. LOUIS – A man facing murder charges for seeking to avenge his own sister’s death appeared in St. Louis Circuit Court on Monday to plead guilty on a reduced charge.

Prosecutors said Jacorren Riley, 26, gunned down Levi Henning on the morning of June 22, 2023, in the 5500 block of Bartmer Avenue in the city’s West End neighborhood. Homicide detectives said Henning was shot in the chest and head.

Henning had been charged with the April 2020 murder of Parkway West High School student Carieal Doss, Riley’s younger sister. In March 2023, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office dropped the case because of a failure to turn over evidence.

However, Henning remained in jail for a 2018 robbery charge until May 18, 2023, when a circuit court judge agreed with a defense attorney’s request to toss the case for violating Henning’s right to a speedy trial.

Henning had been out of jail for a little over a month when he was killed. Riley was arrested on July 20, 2023.

Riley’s case was scheduled to go to trial this week on charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action.

Instead, he agreed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Prior to sentencing, Riley told the judge he took matters into his own hands because he was angry over the lack of justice for his sister. The judge sentenced Riley to 10 years in state prison.

“As this case shows, when individuals do not trust the justice system and seek revenge, it only leads to more violence and threatens the safety of our community,” St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore said.