Federal Murder Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025
10 of the 92 people sentenced for murder offenses in the Eastern District of Missouri in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a life sentence. All 92 received a prison term, and the median was 240 months (20 years), the same as the median for all 94 federal districts.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY201 › Murder: Eastern District of Missouri
In brief: 10 of the 92 people sentenced for murder offenses in the Eastern District of Missouri in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a life sentence. All 92 received a prison term, and the median was 240 months (20 years), the same as the median for all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 92 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Life Sentences and Median Prison Terms
10 people received a life sentence. Every one of the 92 people (100%) received a prison term, and none received probation only.
The median prison term was 240 months (20 years). A quarter received 360 months or more, and a quarter received 120.8 months or less. For all districts, the median was also 240 months. For all offenses in the Eastern District of Missouri, it was 46 months.
Most Sentences Were Below the Guideline Range at the Government's Request
Below the range at the government's request were 60 sentences (65%). Within the range were 22 (24%), and below it without a request were 9 (10%). Above it was 1 sentence (1%).
For all districts, 39% of murder sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 42% were. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 50 of the 92 people (54%).
Pleas and Trials
83 of the 92 people (90%) pleaded guilty, and 9 were convicted after a trial. The rate for all districts was 78%. Among guilty pleas, 100% had a written plea agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 240 months. After a trial it was 470 months, based on 9 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. The records do not describe the cases, so the difference is not explained by the data.
Which Murder Guidelines Were Used
"Murder" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, assigned from the primary guideline in each case. The most common was §2A1.1 (First Degree Murder), for 73 people.
Next were §2A1.5 (Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder) for 9, §2A1.2 (Second Degree Murder) for 6, and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) for 4. Murder cases were less than 1% of the 9,425 people sentenced in the district.
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for all 92 people (100%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 1 (1%), and restitution for 30 (33%).
In criminal history, 27% were in the lowest category and 24% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts and What They Cannot Show
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 26 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 66. Yearly counts range from 2 to 20, and yearly medians in the table run from 96 months to 312 months. These counts are small and are not a trend.
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are not in it. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served. The records cannot show why yearly medians differ.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | 149 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2017 | 4 | 210 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2018 | 8 | 312 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2019 | 12 | 210 months | 92% |
| 2020 | 3 | 96 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2021 | 8 | 210 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2022 | 13 | 300 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 14 | 216 months | 93% |
| 2024 | 20 | 300 months | 85% |
| 2025 | 8 | 210 months | 5 of 8 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Missouri (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Missouri East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Murder" (92). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Federal supervised release. Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.
Who decides the sentence, and under what rules. Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
How life sentences and "time served" are counted. In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.