ST. LOUIS, MO – August 14, 2026 (STL.News) A 21-year-old St. Louis man has pleaded not guilty to federal charges accusing him of committing a fatal carjacking in Jennings in 2024, more than two years after the victim was killed and his vehicle was stolen.
Terry Thomas appeared Thursday, Aug. 13, in U.S. District Court in St. Louis and entered a not guilty plea, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Thomas faces three federal charges: carjacking resulting in death, use of a firearm during a crime of violence and causing death through the use of a firearm.
The charges stem from a May 6, 2024, carjacking in Jennings, a municipality in north St. Louis County.
Federal prosecutors allege Thomas stole a Kia Stinger during an incident that resulted in the death of a man. A detention motion filed in the case says the victim was shot five times.
Local reporting has identified the victim as 36-year-old Darryl Mischeaux. First Alert 4 reported that Thomas is accused of fatally shooting Mischeaux and taking his Kia Stinger.
Thomas has not been convicted of the charges. An indictment contains allegations only, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Stolen Kia Stinger found hours after carjacking
The federal case provides additional details about what investigators allege happened following the fatal shooting.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the stolen Kia Stinger was discovered abandoned in Creve Coeur at approximately 2:46 a.m., about six hours after the carjacking.
Federal prosecutors did not provide additional details in Thursday’s announcement about how investigators allegedly connected Thomas to the crime.
Thomas was arrested by police on June 20, 2024, according to the Justice Department.
More than a year later, on July 16, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Thomas on the three charges that brought him before the federal court Thursday.
The timeline means the federal indictment came approximately 14 months after the May 2024 killing and roughly 13 months after Thomas’ arrest.
Three federal charges filed against Thomas
The federal indictment charges Thomas with:
- Carjacking resulting in death
- Use of a firearm during a crime of violence
- Causing death through the use of a firearm
Thomas pleaded not guilty to the charges during Thursday’s appearance in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.
The Justice Department did not announce a trial date in its Aug. 13 release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie J. Schneider of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County police and FBI investigated
The St. Louis County Police Department and FBI investigated the case, according to federal prosecutors.
The federal prosecution is also being handled as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, commonly known as PSN.
Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide Justice Department initiative intended to coordinate federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies and prosecutors in efforts targeting violent crime.
The program operates through U.S. Attorneys’ offices across the country’s 94 federal judicial districts, allowing enforcement priorities and strategies to be adapted to particular communities.
The Justice Department says the initiative emphasizes coordination among law enforcement agencies, rapid federal responses to violent crime and prosecution of serious offenses that can be pursued in federal court.
The Thomas prosecution is the latest federal violent-crime case announced by the Eastern District of Missouri, which regularly works with the FBI, St. Louis County Police Department, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other agencies on investigations involving firearms, robberies and carjackings.
Fatal carjacking occurred in Jennings in 2024
Jennings is located in north St. Louis County and borders the city of St. Louis.
According to prosecutors, the fatal carjacking occurred May 6, 2024. The government alleges Thomas stole the victim’s Kia Stinger during the crime.
The detention motion cited by prosecutors alleges that the victim was shot five times before the vehicle was later found abandoned in Creve Coeur.
First Alert 4 identified the victim as Darryl Mischeaux, 36, and reported that the stolen vehicle was located hours after the shooting.
The federal government’s Aug. 13 announcement does not provide a detailed account of the evidence prosecutors expect to present against Thomas at trial. It also does not describe any forensic evidence, witness testimony, surveillance footage or other evidence that may be part of the government’s case.
Those details could emerge through future court filings, hearings or trial proceedings.
Case now moves through federal court
Thomas’ not guilty plea moves the case into the federal pretrial process.
A not guilty plea does not determine whether a defendant ultimately will proceed to trial. Federal criminal cases can involve additional motions, evidentiary hearings, and other proceedings before they are resolved.
The government must prove its allegations beyond a reasonable doubt for Thomas to be convicted.
The Justice Department emphasized that the charges in the indictment are accusations, not evidence of guilt.
The federal case also illustrates the sometimes lengthy timeline between a violent crime investigation, an arrest, and the filing and prosecution of federal charges.
In this case, prosecutors say the alleged carjacking occurred on May 6, 2024; Thomas was arrested on June 20, 2024; the federal indictment was returned July 16, 2025; and Thomas appeared in federal court and pleaded not guilty on Aug. 13, 2026.
Further proceedings will determine how the prosecution advances through U.S. District Court in St. Louis.
Presumption of innocence
Thomas has been charged but has not been convicted in this federal case. All allegations described in the indictment and related government filings remain allegations. Under the U.S. criminal justice system, Thomas is presumed innocent unless and until the government proves his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, with additional verification from local reporting. The Justice Department’s Aug. 13 release is available through the official DOJ announcement.
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