A man and a woman involved in two armed carjackings in St. Louis, Missouri, have been sentenced to over 11 years in prison. U.S. District Judge John A. Ross sentenced Jermanine Smith, 51, of St. Louis, to 141 months on Thursday. Bianka North, 29, of Illinois, received a sentence of 154 months on June 20.
Smith pleaded guilty on March 20, 2025, to one count of carjacking and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. North entered her guilty plea ten days earlier for two counts of carjacking and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Both defendants admitted to stealing a Pontiac G6 on May 14, 2022, and a Toyota Scion the following day.
The first incident occurred when the victim was seated in her G6 at North Riverfront Park in St. Louis. Smith and North arrived in a Dodge Charger; shortly after, Smith approached the victims seeking assistance with jump-starting their vehicle. As the driver and her friend exited their car to help, North brandished a silver handgun and ordered them away before stealing the vehicle.
On May 15, North drove the stolen G6 near South 9th Street just after midnight and parked beside another vehicle—a Scion XD—before ordering its driver out at gunpoint and taking off with it as well as demanding that she leave her mobile phone behind too which later led someone attempting an unauthorized transfer via Cash App from said device totaling $300 intended for Smith’s benefit.
This case was investigated by both local authorities—the St.Louis Metropolitan Police Department—and federal agencies like Bureau Alcohol Tobacco Firearms Explosives while Assistant U.S Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski handled prosecution duties throughout proceedings.
