The Missouri defendant previously served prison time for attacking a student in a women’s restroom.
CLAYTON, Mo. — A 32-year-old restaurant worker accused of strangling a coworker over a promotion had completed a lengthy prison term for a similar assault less than four years before the new case, according to police, court records and state incarceration information.
Jevon Mallory is charged with first-degree assault and first-degree burglary in the June 8 attack at a McAlister’s Deli in Bridgeton. Authorities say he entered a rear office, locked the door and strangled the employee who had received a promotion he wanted. A general manager interrupted the attack and helped the woman escape. Mallory was initially held at the St. Louis County Justice Center on a $500,000 cash-only bond as the felony prosecution began.
Mallory’s earlier case began in April 2013 at St. Louis Community College’s Meramec campus in Kirkwood. Authorities said Mallory, then 20, entered a women’s restroom and attacked a female student by strangling her. The student screamed, drawing the attention of a college employee who went inside and restrained Mallory until officers arrived. Mallory later pleaded guilty to first-degree assault. A court sentenced him to 10 years in prison, and state records cited by local news organizations show that he remained incarcerated from December 2014 until October 2022. That conviction produced a final judgment after a guilty plea. The new restaurant case remains at its opening stage, where police allegations have not yet been tested through a trial or resolved by another plea.
The previous conviction does not establish guilt in the current prosecution. Prosecutors must prove the new allegations with evidence connected to the June 8 incident, and a court will decide whether jurors may hear any information about the older case. Rules governing prior acts generally limit their use when the main purpose would be to suggest that a person committed a new crime merely because of past conduct. Depending on the arguments and evidence, prosecutors may seek to use some information for another legally permitted reason, while defense attorneys may ask the judge to exclude it as unfairly prejudicial. The issue may also affect detention decisions because judges can consider criminal history when evaluating danger, compliance and possible release conditions.
Police said the new incident began around 10:30 a.m. while the coworker was inside an office at the back of the Bridgeton restaurant. Mallory entered the office and locked the door, according to the probable cause statement. He allegedly told the woman he was going to kill her, grabbed her neck with both hands and forced her down. Investigators said he continued applying pressure as she went limp. The public record does not provide the woman’s age, describe the full extent of her injuries or say whether she lost consciousness. It also does not say whether Mallory was scheduled to work that morning or whether his access to the office was restricted before the encounter.
A general manager heard a disturbance behind the closed door and unlocked it. The manager entered as the alleged assault was underway, according to authorities. Police said Mallory stopped, allowing the woman to get up and leave the office with the manager. The manager then locked Mallory inside and called for police. The released records do not identify the manager or say how the office door was opened from outside. They also do not report whether Mallory tried to force his way out after being confined. The response kept the suspect separated from the woman and other people in the restaurant until officers arrived to take him into custody.
Investigators said Mallory spoke about the promotion after his arrest. He allegedly told officers that he had applied for the position awarded to the woman and had become angry with her after she received it. Police said he admitted knowing she was at the restaurant that day and going there with the intention of killing her. He allegedly added that he would have completed the killing if the general manager had not intervened. The reports do not indicate whether the interview was recorded, whether Mallory signed a written statement or whether an attorney was present. His defense may later challenge the accuracy, context or admissibility of the statements attributed to him.
The state charged Mallory with first-degree assault rather than announcing an attempted murder count in the initial reports. Charging labels differ by state, and prosecutors commonly select the offenses they believe best fit the available facts and statutory language. The assault count is based on allegations that Mallory tried to kill the woman or cause serious physical injury. The burglary count appears to arise from his alleged entry into or remaining inside the locked office for the purpose of committing a crime. His status as an employee may become part of the legal dispute over that count, but employment does not necessarily grant unrestricted authority to use every workplace space for any purpose.
The $500,000 cash-only bond reflected the seriousness assigned to the allegations at the beginning of the case. A bond order is not a determination of guilt. It is intended to address whether a defendant can be released while protecting court appearances and public safety. The reports identified June 16 as Mallory’s next scheduled bond hearing. At that stage, prosecutors could emphasize the alleged threat, the claimed admission of a plan to kill and the earlier assault conviction. Defense counsel could challenge the strength of the evidence, request lower conditions or propose restrictions designed to address the court’s concerns. Publicly indexed reports did not provide a later ruling from that hearing.
The similarities between the allegations are likely to draw attention throughout the case. In each incident, authorities described an attack on a woman’s neck inside an enclosed institutional or workplace room. Both attacks ended when another person entered and physically separated or contained Mallory. The 2013 victim screamed before a campus employee responded. In 2026, a restaurant manager heard a commotion behind a locked door. The first case ended with a guilty plea and prison sentence. The second must proceed independently through evidence gathering, hearings and either a negotiated resolution or trial.
The timing of Mallory’s incarceration also gives the new case added context. Records cited by local reporting indicate that he left state prison in October 2022, about three years and eight months before the restaurant attack. The available reports do not say whether he remained under parole supervision in June 2026, when he began working at McAlister’s Deli or whether the restaurant knew about the prior conviction. They also do not provide information about his conduct between release and arrest. Those unanswered questions may be separate from whether he committed the charged acts, though supervision status could lead to additional proceedings outside the new criminal case.
No public account reviewed for the case includes a statement from the woman, the manager or other employees. McAlister’s Deli was not quoted addressing whether Mallory was fired, whether the promoted employee remained on leave or whether the company reviewed security at the Bridgeton restaurant. Authorities have not released surveillance recordings, photographs, dispatch audio or a detailed medical assessment. Prosecutors may obtain such materials through the investigation and disclose relevant evidence to the defense. The absence of those materials from initial news reports does not establish that they do not exist.
Mallory is entitled to challenge the prosecution’s evidence and remains presumed innocent on the new charges. The state must establish each required element beyond a reasonable doubt if the case reaches trial. Before then, attorneys may litigate the alleged police admissions, the office-access question behind the burglary charge and any attempt to introduce the prior conviction. A preliminary hearing or grand jury process may also determine whether the case advances toward trial, depending on how prosecutors proceed.
The prior assault ended with Mallory serving nearly eight years of the 10-year sentence between his reported entry into state custody and his release. The latest allegations returned him to the county jail after another intervention stopped an alleged strangling. The next phase will determine which facts a court permits prosecutors to use and whether the state can convert its initial account into proof supporting two new felony convictions.
Author note: Last updated July 11, 2026.