10-05-2025
After appeal, metro-east man gets a new sentence for ‘road rage' killing
A Granite City man who shot another man dead four years ago in a 'road rage' argument outside a Sauget gas station was resentenced in a St. Clair County courtroom Friday.
Charles B. Shaw received the nine-year sentence on his second-degree murder conviction for fatally shooting 46-year-old Terrill E. Vance of Florissant, Missouri, on May 9, 2021.
Since St. Clair County Associate Judge Dominic Kujawa said Shaw would only have to serve half of the nine-year sentence if he maintains good behavior in prison, according to his attorney, St. Clair County Public Defender Cathy MacElroy.
And since Shaw has already been in the county jail or the state prison system for four years and would receive credit for time served, MacElroy said Shaw could be released in six months if he maintains the good behavior he has previously displayed since he was arrested four years ago.
Before Kujawa announced his sentence, he said, 'Somebody died Mr. Shaw.' But he added he also he was 'impressed' by the rehabilitation programs Shaw had completed while incarcerated.
Shaw is now 46 years old, which was the age of Vance when he was gunned down in the parking lot of the MotoMart convenience store and gas station at 3120 Mississippi Ave. in Sauget.
The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis was called to investigate Vance's death.
It said in a news release at the time that Shaw had 'been involved in a verbal altercation with the victim following a road rage incident.'
Shaw told jurors in his trial in April 2022 that during the dispute in the parking lot, Vance had threatened multiple times to kill him and his brother, according to court records. Shaw said he thought Vance had a gun but court records note that he did not.
Shaw described to jurors how the argument began.
Shaw was driving a Chrysler Town and Country van behind his brother, who was driving a Chevrolet Malibu. They were waiting to turn into the MotoMart because Shaw needed to get air in a tire and his brother needed to get gas. At that point, Vance drove 'about an inch' by Shaw's brother's car, Shaw testified.
Shaw said Vance made a U-turn and then pulled into the MotoMart after the Shaw brothers.
During the dispute, Shaw went to his van and got out a handgun and shortly after that the fatal shots were fired, according to court records.
After shooting Vance three times at close range, Shaw left the convenience store and did not call police.
The store clerk alerted police about the shooting at 12:25 a.m. on Sunday, May 9, 2021 which was Mother's Day. Later that day, after he had cooked fish for a Mother's Day event for his church at a local bowling alley, Shaw was arrested, according to authorities and court records.
Shaw's trial was for a first-degree murder charge but jurors instead convicted Shaw of second-degree murder.
After being convicted of second-degree murder in June 2022, Shaw was given a 12-year prison sentence.
He appealed that sentence because he argued that Kujawa should not have considered a pending aggravated unlawful use of weapon/vehicle charge that Shaw had at the time in Madison County. That felony charge had been filed in 2019, but dismissed three years later, according to Madison County Court records.
The 5th District Appellate Court in Mount Vernon agreed with Shaw and in August ruled that Shaw should be resentenced on the second-degree murder conviction.
During the resentencing hearing Friday, St. Clair County Assistant State's Attorney Jason Emmanuel told Kujawa that a 12-year sentence would be a 'fair and just' sentence for Shaw.
MacElroy asked Kujawa to impose a four-year sentence.
Shaw sat quietly as Kujawa announced the nine-year sentence. He looked back at his parents as he was led out of the courtroom.
