A Carbondale man pleaded guilty to robbery and calculated criminal cannabis conspiracy in exchange for prosecutors dropping a murder charge against him.
The Jackson County State's Attorney says 26-year-old Judious Kizeart was sentenced to seven years on the robbery charge to be served consecutively with a three-year sentence on the drug charge for a total of ten years.
In February 2018, Kizeart and Brandon Brooks were conducting a drug deal with two people from St. Louis at an apartment complex off Mill Street. Before completing the deal, Kizeart and Brooks attempted to rob the two from St. Louis, resulting in the exchange of gunfire. Brooks died from his gunshot wounds.
Kizeart fled the scene and drove to an apartment on South Logan Street, where he abandoned his rental car, dumped Brooks’ body on the ground, and fled the scene with the money and Brooks’ handgun. Kizeart was later arrested in September 2018 at Lambert International Airport in St. Louis after a return flight from California.