Saint Louis Man Sentenced For Role In Drug-Related Murders

ST. LOUIS, MO — Joe Moreland Edger, a 43-year-old St. Louis man, was sentenced this month to 30 years in prison for his involvement in the 2014 murders of two women, Erin Davis and Juanita Davis, who were not related.

Prosecutors say Edger worked with a drug dealer, who hired him to retaliate against the women for an alleged robbery. Edger provided that drug dealer with a 9mm handgun used to shoot the two women, aided the dealer in locating the victims, and transported the drug dealer to commit the murders. In exchange, Edger was paid with a .22 caliber firearm.

Edger was charged with and convicted of conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and other firearms charges related to previous convictions. At the time the two women were murdered, Edger was on parole for another murder, and not allowed to possess a gun.

Last year St. Louis cracked its 25-year murder record. Per capita, the city ranks third for homicides in the United States and first for non-fatal shootings, according to data from the FBI and Major Cities Chiefs Association.

Critics say Missouri's lax gun laws are one reason for a rise in violent crime. The state repealed a law in 2007 that allowed for longer, more comprehensive background checks than federal law requires. Cassandra Kercher Crifasi, a researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, said the repeal led to a spike in murders and 70 percent more guns making their way to criminals across the state.

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