On Tuesday morning, a St. Louis City judge sentenced Rico Paul, 21, to life in prison without parole for the murder of Paul Reiter, the longtime circulation manager of The St. Louis American.
On Aug. 16, a jury convicted Paul of first-degree murder, first-degree attempted burglary and armed criminal action. On Tuesday, Circuit Court Judge Thomas Grady sentenced Paul, of the 3500 block of Bamberger, to 20 years in prison for armed criminal action and seven years for attempted burglary, to be served concurrently with his life sentence.
On the morning of May 9, 2011, Reiter interrupted Paul and an accomplice in the act of robbing Reiter’s next door neighbor in the 5000 block of Idaho. Reiter yelled that he would call the police if they didn’t stop the burglary, and Paul responded by fatally shooting Reiter, 58, who died clutching his cell phone with 911 dialed but not called.
Reiter’s son, Chris, 22, and several siblings and family members were in the courtroom at the sentencing. Melissa Gilliam, prosecuting attorney for the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office, read a letter that Chris wrote to his “father’s killer.”
“Whether you are listening or not, I forgive you. Whether you feel remorse or not, I forgive you. Whether you have forgiven yourself or not, I forgive you,” Chris wrote.
“And believe it or not, I feel pain for you. I wouldn’t wish this situation on my worst enemy. But I also wish I still had Paul. I hope this helps you with closure of the outcome of this situation.”
While Gilliam read the letter, several times Rico Paul bent his head down to wipe his face on his orange jumpsuit, as his hands were in handcuffs.
Reiter’s brother, Mark, also testified at the hearing.
“The first time you came into the courtroom, I saw in your eyes that you were sorry,” Mark Reiter said. “You are forgiven. I hope your heart gets freed.”
Mark brought a bible that belonged to his deceased wife and asked Rico Paul if he would like to have it. Looking stoically at Mark while he spoke, Paul answered “yes.”
Mathew Waltz of the Missouri State Public Defender Office provided able defense. After the sentencing, Paul complained to the judge that Waltz did not contact four witnesses that could have helped his case. Waltz said he attempted to call and seek out the witnesses but received no response from any of them.
Waltz said he would file an appeal for Paul today. Gilliam explained to the family that the appeal is common procedure, but it has little chance of moving forward.
Paul’s first murder trial in December ended in a hung jury. Family members said they were relieved that after two years the case was finally over.
Outside of this case, Paul still has about 30 counts of burglary pending, Gilliam said. At the time of Reiter’s murder, Paul was already on probation for robbery and assault. Paul’s probation was revoked after he was charged with the murder, and he was sentenced to 15 years in that case.
Several of Paul’s family members also attend the sentencing. After the hearing, his mother was escorted to a nearby room to visit with Paul before he was taken back to jail.