Jaylen French

ST. LOUIS — A Pagedale man who killed a marijuana dealer near St. Louis University this week was shot and critically wounded by the dealer's girlfriend, authorities said. James J. Hudson, 19, was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree robbery and three counts of armed criminal action. He is accused of killing 25-year-old Jaylen French in the 300 block of North Spring Avenue on Tuesday afternoon. French was shot after he sold Hudson marijuana, police said. The two men were acquaintances. French sat in the front seat of a Jaguar; Hudson was in the backseat. After Hudson bought an amount of marijuana they'd agreed on, Hudson pulled a gun and said "he was going to need the rest of the marijuana too," police said in court papers. He then shot French, police said. The fatally injured French got out of the car, and Hudson jumped into the driver's seat. As he tried to force French's girlfriend out of the car, he dropped his gun, police said. The girlfriend grabbed the gun and shot Hudson, police said. She called 911 and waited for police, authorities said. Hudson remained hospitalized Thursday in critical condition; his mugshot was unavailable. Hudson lives in the 6500 block of Joseph Avenue in Pagedale. French, 25, lived in the 2800 block of Wellington Drive in St. Louis County.