Man draws 44 years in woman's slaying

BELLEVILLE -- A St. Clair County judge has sentenced a St. Louis man to 44 years in prison in the fatal shooting of a 28-year-old Granite City mother of two.

Circuit Judge John Baricevic handed down the sentence Monday against 27-year-old Andrew Scott Jr., who was convicted of second-degree murder by a jury in June.

Johnson was accused of firing shots into a car on Jan. 25, 2004, killing Carmel Brown and injuring two others.

Scott pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in 2006 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison, but an appellate court ordered a new trial, finding he had not been made aware of some of his rights.

Prosecutors offered a plea deal with a 22-year prison sentence, but Scott rejected the offer and opted to go to trial.