Florissant man found guilty of 2020 murder
ST. LOUIS – A jury returned a guilty verdict against a Florissant man for a 2020 murder in the city’s Old North St. Louis neighborhood.
The murder took place around 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2020, in the 1300 block of Madison Street. Officers found the victim, Tommy Parnell, shot to death near the sidewalk. Parnell was 47.
On Sept. 18, 2020, police pulled over Michael Penton’s 2008 Ford Focus and towed the vehicle to a police laboratory on suspicion of involvement in the shooting. Investigators found blood droplets belonging to Parnell inside the car.
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Penton admitted to being on the street at the time of the shooting but denied being involved.
The case had previously been tried in October 2023 but ended in a mistrial because the jury could not come to a verdict.
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office refiled the case and Penton was ultimately convicted of second-degree murder and armed criminal action.
Penton faces up to 30 years on the murder charge and anywhere from three to 15 years for armed criminal action. The latter sentence must be served consecutively. However, due to his prior criminal history, Penton could get additional prison time.
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