In St. Louis, Missouri, Candace Horskins, 34, was found fatally shot inside a home in the Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood on Dec. 21, 2023, according to a First Alert 4 report. The report states that Mario Lee, 48, was found guilty in May of involuntary manslaughter, armed criminal action, and unlawful gun possession in connection with Horskins’ death. He later received prison terms of 15 years for involuntary manslaughter, 15 years for armed criminal action, and 10 years for unlawful gun possession. The published report confirms the death, convictions, and sentence, but it does not describe the circumstances leading up to the shooting. Those unreported details should not be assumed. What Makes This Incident Different This reported death involves a shooting inside a residence and a completed criminal case resulting in convictions and sentencing. A criminal prosecution can provide important public information for a family, but it does not automatically answer every question a family may have about the loss or determine whether a separate civil claim is available. The legal standards, parties, and available evidence in a criminal case can differ from those in a civil wrongful-death matter. Depending on the evidence, a civil review may focus on whether a claim exists against a person or entity whose conduct is legally connected to the death. The evidence—not assumptions or the result of the criminal case alone—will determine what claims, if any, may be appropriate. Questions Investigators May Examine Because the report does not explain how the shooting occurred, any review should remain evidence-based. Investigators or attorneys may examine conditional questions such as: - What do law-enforcement reports and witness accounts indicate about the events inside the home? - What physical evidence may clarify the sequence of events? - What information was presented during the criminal case, and what evidence was admitted or otherwise preserved? - Are there witnesses, recordings, or communications that may help establish the relevant timeline? - Could any facts support a civil claim under Missouri law, separate from the criminal convictions? These are questions for a careful review of available records. They are not conclusions about fault, responsibility, or the conduct of any person or organization. Evidence That May Need to Be Preserved Families considering a civil review may benefit from acting promptly to identify and preserve materials that could be relevant. Depending on what exists, potentially useful evidence may include: - Police incident reports and supplemental investigative records - Photographs, diagrams, and other documentation from the scene - Court filings, verdict records, sentencing materials, and trial exhibits - Witness contact information and recorded or written witness statements - Available surveillance video from the residence or nearby areas - Relevant calls, messages, or other communications that may bear on the timeline - Medical, emergency-response, and death-related records - Property records or records concerning access to the residence, if relevant to a supported legal theory Some materials may be held by government agencies, courts, witnesses, or private parties. Preservation needs can vary, and the existence of any particular record cannot be assumed from the news report. What Families Should Know A criminal sentence may bring a measure of accountability, but it does not necessarily address a family’s financial and legal questions after a death. Missouri law allows certain family members to pursue a wrongful-death claim in appropriate circumstances. Whether such a claim is available depends on the facts, the available evidence, the relationship of the potential claimant to the person who died, and other legal requirements. Missouri generally has a three-year deadline for filing a wrongful-death lawsuit, though the timing and application of deadlines can require case-specific analysis. A criminal case can also have its own schedule, records, and proceedings. Families do not need to wait to learn their civil options, especially when documents, recordings, and witness recollections may be important. A conversation with a wrongful-death attorney can help a family understand what records may be available, how a criminal case may affect a civil matter, and what steps may be appropriate without assuming that a recovery is guaranteed. How Dunk Law Can Help Dunk Law can review the known facts surrounding a fatal shooting in Missouri, examine available criminal-case and investigative materials, and help families evaluate whether a wrongful-death claim may be available. Our team can also work to identify evidence that may need preservation and explain the civil process in plain English. If your family lost someone in a violent incident in St. Louis or elsewhere in Missouri, contact Dunk Law for a confidential discussion focused on your family’s circumstances. Related Dunk Law Resources - Wrongful death claims - Catastrophic injury claims - All practice areas - St. Louis personal injury lawyers This post is based on publicly available news reports and is provided for general information only. It is not legal advice.