Monte Henderson has pleaded guilty to the February 2024 incident that killed a mother and daughter following a Drake concert in downtown St. Louis.
Prosecutors said Henderson was speeding when he ran a red light, killing 42-year-old Laticha Bracero, also known as Lety, and her 21-year-old daughter, Alyssa Cordova, as they exited a Drake performance on Valentine’s Day in 2024. A video from that night shows a Jeep rushing down the street before colliding with the women as they crossed at North 18th Street and Olive Avenue.
More than a dozen of the victims’ family members and friends attended the plea hearing.
Alice Bracero, the aunt of Alyssa and Lety, expressed that hearing Henderson plead “guilty” has brought a sense of relief to the family.
“Emotions exist everywhere. It’s been seventeen months. It took 17 months to plead guilty. “He knew what he did wrong,” Bracero explained.
A few family members also came to support Henderson.
Henderson pled guilty in court Tuesday morning to two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter and two counts of armed criminal conduct. Henderson faces a minimum of six years in jail and a maximum of fifty years for the offenses.
“We want to keep Lety and Alyssa’s spirits alive and well remembered. Our family is simply crushed. It’s exactly like a hole. There are not just one missing piece, but two. “They’re not here to celebrate holidays or birthdays,” Bracero explained.
Prosecutors said Henderson was going over 70 mph in February 2024 when he ran a red light and murdered the two people. According to surveillance video and crash data, Henderson never attempted to brake before the collision. When Henderson was tested at the hospital, prosecutors said his blood alcohol level was more than double the legal limit.
“We’re getting justice, and we’re getting it now after 17 months,” Bracero told the crowd. “Heartbreaking that somebody could just come and take their lives.”
Although this is a step toward justice for the family, Bracero stated that she wanted the case to go to trial.
“I wanted everyone in the world to witness what he had accomplished. They aren’t the first and won’t be the last.” Laws must be changed,” Bracero stated.
At the hearing, prosecutors requested that Henderson be kept at the City Justice Center until his sentence. Prosecutors said that Henderson’s arrest would provide family members with a “glimmer of justice” after they had painstakingly attended each court hearing.
“Alyssa had a future ahead of her. She wanted to marry. She wanted to have children. She wanted to travel the world. She aspired to work as a nail technician and have her own business. Laticha was a supervisor at a bank. “They were just happy people,” Bracero explained.
Prosecutors asserted in court on Tuesday morning that Henderson presents a threat to the community and a risk of escape. They claimed he could “have one last hoorah” before being sentenced and committing a similar crime.
Henderson’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, contended that he had never breached his bond since being indicted. Henderson stated that he was not prepared to go to jail on Tuesday, and the court responded that two concertgoers did not anticipate being struck and murdered.
The court then ordered Henderson to be detained in custody until his September sentence. When he is sentenced, the time spent in jail will be counted as time served. The judge also stated that Henderson failed to demonstrate remorse.
“His incarceration today provided a fleeting sense of relief.” Finally, we can breathe properly. “We all grieve differently, and this is weighing on all of us,” family friend Santina Castillo expressed.
Henderson was brought into prison, and family members on both sides were very emotional.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 19.
After the open plea, the St. Louis City Circuit Attorney’s Office issued the following statement:
“Monte Henderson pled guilty to two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter and two counts of armed criminal action. There is no plea agreement in this case. The defendant pled directly to the Court. His trial was scheduled to begin this week, and our trial team was fully prepared to present the case to a jury.
These charges are related to the February 14, 2024, crash in downtown St. Louis that killed Laticha Bracero and her daughter Alyssa Cordova, who were visiting from Chicago. The two were walking back to their hotel after a concert and were crossing Olive Street in a marked crosswalk, with a walk signal, when they were struck and killed.
We hope that the defendant’s guilty plea brings some solace to the victims’ family and friends who have suffered an unimaginable loss.
Sentencing is scheduled to occur on September 19, 2025. Each party will present a sentencing recommendation, and the judge will determine the final sentence. Under Missouri law, first-degree involuntary manslaughter carries a range of 3 to 10 years, and armed criminal action carries a range of 3 to 15 years.”
