Marcia Brown

Marcia Brown, a 25-year-old Black woman known to friends and family as "Cia," was a mother of three described as free-spirited, fun, and loving. She worked as a Patient Care Technician at Barnes Jewish Hospital in Saint Louis, Missouri, and was a graduate of Hazelwood West High School. Her mother would later write, "I miss my child terribly."

In the early hours of May 30, 2020, Marcia was found inside a car in the 2700 block of North Grand Boulevard in the city's Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood. She had been shot multiple times. A 30-year-old man who was with her in the vehicle was also found with critical gunshot injuries. Both were rushed to a local hospital, where Marcia Brown succumbed to her wounds and was pronounced dead.

The investigation into the shooting quickly focused on a red Jeep seen on surveillance footage. The video showed individuals inside the Jeep firing into the car occupied by Marcia and her friend. Detectives learned the Jeep had been rented by the girlfriend of a man named Raymond A. House. Law enforcement tracked the couple and apprehended them as they were attempting to return the rental vehicle. At the time of his arrest, House was in possession of a firearm.

Police initially considered the shooting may have been the result of a road rage incident following a high-speed chase. However, Marcia’s mother publicly disputed this theory, stating her belief that her daughter and her companion were targeted at random.

Raymond A. House was initially charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, and unlawful possession of a firearm. In July 2024, House pleaded guilty to amended charges of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and other felonies. He did not speak at his sentencing hearing, where a judge sentenced him to 20 years in prison for his role in Marcia Brown's death.