St. Louis man convicted of killing girlfriend with shotgun

ST. LOUIS — A jury on Thursday found a man guilty of killing his girlfriend with a shotgun last year in their Dutchtown apartment.

Derrick Smith, 41, was convicted on charges of second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon.

On July 19, Smith called police and reported that someone had shot his girlfriend, 39-year-old Norma Reano, prosecutors said in a Friday press release. When police arrived at their Alaska Avenue apartment, they found the shotgun used to kill Reano in the building's basement.

Smith's DNA was found on the shotgun and gunshot residue was found on his hands, prosecutors said.

During his trial, Smith's ex-girlfriend testified that he had previously threatened to kill her with a shotgun, too.

"The defendant made a series of d