Sentencing is set for May for a Washington man who pleaded guilty to a federal charge for his role in the death of a Texas man lured to St. Louis.
Scott Alan Compton, 54, pleaded guilty Feb. 6 to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri released information on the indictment Monday.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department assisted with the investigation.
Authorities said Compton and Michael Jackson, 23, Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty for their actions in connection with the death of Jamie Benson, 28, also of Houston.
According to court documents, in early April 2011, Compton and Jackson — along with others — joined in a conspiracy that included robbing and murdering Benson in St. Louis after luring him from Houston to St. Louis.
Compton and Jackson were actively involved in luring Benson to St. Louis and setting the stage for Benson’s murder by Jackson, authorities said.
In April 2011, Jackson shot and murdered Benson inside a vehicle parked in a St. Louis alley, authorities said.
Jackson and others abandoned Benson’s body in the alley where it was later discovered by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
Jackson pleaded guilty Feb. 8 to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine, conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and a third count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in which death resulted.
Compton and Jackson appeared before U. S. District Court Judge Audrey G. Fleissig
Compton faces up to a maximum of 40 years, imprisonment for his crime. Jackson faces a term of imprisonment of up to life for his crimes. In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U. S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.
This case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U. S. Marshals Service; and the St. Charles County Police Department.
