By: William C. Lhotka
(reprinted from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO), June 17, 2004)
A jury in St. Louis County Circuit Court acquitted Hasaan Grace Wednesday of a second-degree murder charge in the fatal shooting of a would-be robber outside Grace's apartment in University City.
The jury believed the contention of Grace, 23, and the arguments of defense attorney Scott Rosenblum that Grace was acting in self-defense and out of fear for his own life when he shot Reco Freedman, 15, of St. Louis, on Oct. 17, 2002.
Grace had admitted he twice told a false story to police and later ditched his gun in the river.
Prosecutor David Truman conceded that Freedman had gone to University City in a friend's stolen car with a large-barrel handgun for the purpose of robbing someone. But Truman said there was little evidence to support self-defense, other than self-serving statements of the defendant.
An autopsy revealed two bullet wounds to the back and two bullet wounds to the back of Freedman's head.
"The gun was behind the head of Reco Freedman, and, by extension, the defendant was behind the victim when the shots were fired," Truman said.
Besides second-degree murder, the jury considered the lesser charges of voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter. The jury also acquitted Grace of armed criminal action and tampering with evidence.
Earlier that evening, Grace and some friends had seen Freedman, whom they didn't know, near Grace's apartment in the 6300 block of Cabanne Avenue. Later, a friend called Grace to tell him the suspicious person was still in the neighborhood. Grace said he got his gun because his stepmother and brother had gone to the grocery and he was worried about their return.
Grace said he was standing in front of his apartment when Freedman approached on foot, walked past him, whirled, and came up with a gun.
"I was terrified for my life. I was scared. I can't explain how I felt," Grace told the jury. "I shot him and I continued to shoot until he fell down."
Rosenblum said Grace lied initially to police because he was afraid they would charge him with murder -- and his fears were well founded: They did.
The defense attorney compared Grace, a Navy veteran with a full-time job, with Freedman, who had been suspended from school that day and had joined up with another youth, Sharod Massey, to commit a robbery.
Massey, 18, of St. Louis, was alleged to be driving a stolen getaway car for Freedman. Two weeks later, he died in a car crash in O'Fallon, Ill.
