Driver for man who fatally shot a St. Paul grandmother in 2020 is sentenced to 11 years

Deanna Weniger, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·1 min read

Jan. 18—A Minneapolis man was sentenced Friday to 11 years for his part in the murder of a grandmother in St. Paul in 2020.

Maurice June, 33, pleaded guilty Nov. 22 in Ramsey County District Court to aiding an offender. He was the driver for Christopher Malik Todd, 21, who shot and killed Teresa Bear Ribs, 61, as she cared for her young grandchildren in St. Paul.

Todd was sentenced last week to 32 years of prison and supervised release.

June was sentenced via Zoom by District Judge Sophia Y. Vuelo. He will spend a little over seven years in prison and 3 1/2 years on supervised release. He was given credit for 516 days of time served. He also must pay $2,480 in restitution.

Bear Ribs was babysitting her grandchildren at a Dayton's Bluff home Aug. 19, 2020, and was talking on the phone to her husband when Todd approached and shot her in the head. Initial speculation was that the shooting may have been gang-related and meant to be a retaliatory strike against a family member related to Bear Ribs. However, Todd has not given a reason.

June was driving a red Dodge Charger when he stopped and waited for Todd to shoot Bear Ribs before driving away with him.

June's criminal record includes felony convictions for criminal sexual conduct, attempted burglary, having contraband in prison, escaping from custody and failing to register as a predatory offender.