Subject: Crime

• St. Louis Forensic Archaeologist Testifies at Saddam's Trial

  December 1, 2006

• Michael Devlin Charged With Attempted Murder

  April 17, 2007

• Uncivil War

  April 1, 2009

• News of the Weird

  June 16, 1999

• Spike in Murders in St. Louis Contradicts Drops in Other "Dangerous" Cities

  Homicides in St. Louis jumped from 138 in 2007 to 167 last year, making 2008 the deadliest year in the 'Lou since 204 people lost their lives in 1995.Across the state, Kansas City also saw a surge in murders with homicides increasing from 94 in 2007 to 126 last year. Yet despite reports suggesting that an increase in killings is to be expected during these tough economic times, many U.S. cities actually saw homicides drop last year.

  January 5, 2009

• Fish Gotta Swim, Politicians Gotta Lie

  December 16, 1998

• News of the Weird

  March 10, 1999

• ¡Ask A Mexican! Mexican, Schmexican: All molesters deserve to rot in Hell

  February 18, 2009

• Perverts Beware: St. Louis area police have your number

  September 3, 2008

• Can You Dig It?

  March 1, 2006

• The Rockwell Files

  June 6, 2007

• Bait and Switch

  October 4, 2006

• Battle Lines

  August 23, 2006

• Street Fighters

  November 9, 2005

• The Gang That Couldn't Dress Straight

  Meet the cross-dressing bank robbers who confounded cops for years

  October 12, 2005

• Cold as Ice

  Two St. Louis rappers deconstruct an early-'90s classic

  August 31, 2005

• A Shot in the Arm

  A federal appeals court says Darryl Burton might very well be innocent of the 1984 murder of Donald Ball. But there's nothing they can do about it.

  November 3, 2004

• All Oddz on Me

  Think you know who killed 2Pac? Wanna bet?

  September 8, 2004

• Immaculate Deception

  Some dirty little secrets followed Archbishop Raymond Burke from Wisconsin to St. Louis

  August 25, 2004

• World of Hurt

  The St. Louis Police Department faces a taboo topic: Domestic violence within its ranks

  March 24, 2004

• Grand Theft Audio

  Radar Station discovers the soundtrack to crime

  December 10, 2003

• Carnage

  Despite the cost, local cops can't resist deadly pursuits

  June 11, 2003

• Hard Case

  Marie Clark's group-therapy sessions are a sex offender's worst nightmare. Her down-and-dirty approach gives some of her colleagues the willies too.

  April 16, 2003

• Who's Afraid of Anthony Shahid?

  He's a hero to some, a pain to others. Either way, he makes people very nervous.

  February 19, 2003

• Fatale Detraction

  Beyond cheap turn-ons, there's nothing to recommend Brian De Palma's latest

  November 6, 2002

• Open Season

  Police crackdown on guns and gangs runs into Way of the Gun mentality

  October 30, 2002

• For the Defense

  Terry Niehoff, one of the city's top criminal-defense lawyers, makes his money the old-fashioned way -- he earns it, one client at a time

  October 23, 2002

• Deadly Dilemma

  September 18, 2002

• Empty Promises

  February 20, 2002

• Fallen Angel

  January 9, 2002

• Hard Luck, Hard Time

  March 28, 2001

• The Politics of Alcohol: Way Over the Limit

  May 31, 2000

• Cruel and Usual

  February 16, 2000

• Mickey Blue Eyes

  August 18, 1999

• Lost in America

  July 28, 1999

• Letters to the Editor

  June 30, 1999

• Cherokee Street Merchant Caught With "Trailer Load" of Fake Goods Pleads Guilty

  Here's an update to a story Daily RFT first reported back in April. Photo: Nicholas PhillipsFrango's store on Cherokee Street.Yesterday the U.S. Attorney's office announced that Passaro Frango, owner of West African Art (at 2623 Cherokee Street) and F & A Fashions (at 6212 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. in Wellston) has pleaded guilty to charges of selling counterfeit goods. According to the indictment, between September 2005 and February 2009, Frango sold counterfeit goods at both store locat

  June 10, 2009

• Fairmount Park earns some green while Wash. U. breeds fruit flies in need of naps

  June 17, 2009

• St. Louis Homicides Down 30 Percent for First Six Months of '09; Teen Murders On Pace for Lesser Declines

  As of today (July 1) the year is half over. And according to numbers provided by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, homicides are down nearly 30 percent compared to 2008.  As of Monday (June 29), the police reported 60 murders in the city in 2009 compared with 85 by mid-year 2008. Given that clip, St. Louis would end up with 120 homicides in 2009, down from the 167 killings that occurred in the city during an extremely violent 2008. (Last year's homicides were the most the city h

  July 1, 2009

• Psst! Want to See Some Pictures? Of Alleged Child Pornographers? Are You Sure?

  Okay, but they ain't pretty. St. Louis police released the following mugshots today.Left to right: Bobby Plain, Kurt Carson and Adam DerbyThe police say they began an investigation in February 2009 into a resident of the 4500 block of Evans Avenue said to be offering known images of child pornography for share.  A search warrant was obtained and executed and numerous video and still images depicting minors engaged in sexual acts were discovered. The investigation further revealed that a 1

  July 1, 2009

• Columbia Court Convicts Bank Robber, Despite Alleged Politeness

  flickr.com/photos/kingsdesignIf a bank robber robs a bank politely, is he still a bank robber?A Boone County jury had the pleasure of debating this philosophical issue last Thursday, July 17. The facts of the case were these:On August 28, 2008, Maurice Penny, Sr., walked into the Bank of America branch at 1729 W. Broadway in Columbia, lifted up his shirt, possibly to show off a gun, and handed a note to the teller. He left with $3,000 in cash, in $20, $50 and $100 bills, and the note, which the

  July 20, 2009

• St. Louis Police Dismantle North City Drug Ring; 15 Members of Gang Indicted

  The U.S. Attorney's Office and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department today announced the indictment and arrest of 15 area people charged with operating a major cocaine operation in St. Louis. The investigation focused on gang-related drug activity in the Jeff Vander Lou area (see map below) of north St. Louis.View Jeff Vander Lou Neighborhood in a larger mapAccording to the U.S. Attorney, the plot encompassed distribution of more than five kilos of cocaine and 50 grams of crack cocaine. I

  July 21, 2009

• Owner of Pre-Paid Funeral Company Indicted for Fraud, Money Laundering

  Sutton allegedly used Wite Out to wipe out customers' accounts.​Randall Sutton, former chief financial officer, president and director of the now defunct Clayton business, National Prearranged Services Inc., was indicted this week of a massive fraud involving pre-paid funerals in some 19 states. According to the indictment, Sutton and other conspirators at NPS fraudulently profited off money that thousands of customers paid the firm for pre-arranged funerals. Instead of setting that money asid

  August 7, 2009

• Man in "Gangsta" T-shirt Robs Local Bank

  Photos courtesy FBIWhat do you expect of a gangsta?​I tend to ignore most breaking news releases asking the public for help tracking down armed robbers. But this one about a robbery today of a Commerce Bank in suburban Webster Groves is just too good to pass up  -- if only because of the "Gangsta" t-shirt the suspect chose to wear during the heist. My question: Was the novelty shop where the robber buys his clothes all out of t-shirts that say: "Bank Robber"? Read the FBI's breaking news

  August 10, 2009

• Retailer Sentenced to Prison Discovers Fake Nikes Do Not Constitute "West African Art"

  A True Fashion Crime: Sponge Bob Air JordansPassaro Frango, the St. Louis business owner charged this year with possession of multiple "trailer loads" of counterfeit merchandise, was sentenced today to two years in prison. Frango, of University City, owned West African Art, at 2623 Cherokee Street in south St. Louis, and F&A Fashions, at 6212 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. in Wellston.  In 2008 based on information that the West African Art store was selling counterfeit goo

  September 1, 2009

• Seen This Guy? Police Say He's Robbed Five St. Louis Area Stores, Banks

  ​St. Louis Police are looking for the man above who they believe robbed a Fed Ex/Kinko's at 700 Olive last Thursday. They also suspect he has pulled off the following heists: June 17 robbery at Walgreens, 3631 Gravois August 1 robbery at Deals, 3148 S. Kingshighway August 8 robbery at Walgreens, 5550 S. Grand August 12 robbery at Bank of America, 6639 S. KingshighwayAnyone with information is urged  to call Crimestoppers at 1-866-371-TIPS. Callers may remain ano

  September 2, 2009

• Speaking Out

  October 7, 2009

• Scary Numbers Part II: Man Has 11 Kids, Gets 13 Years In Jail, For Selling 62.4 Grams of Crack

  www.flickr.com/photos/skyzyx​A week ago we crunched the numbers on Christopher Elders, the 30 year-old Affton man who posed as a 17 year-old in order to sodomize a 14 year-old girl. The criminal testing our math skills this time around is Lewis Lawson of East St. Louis. Lawson, 32, was sentenced to 160 months in federal prison yesterday after he was caught with 62.5 grams of crack in 2006.Unlike most people convicted of his crime, Lawson will not be subject to a court-ordered fine. Instead, an

  October 14, 2009

• Illinois Doctor in Trouble For DUI's Uses Fuzzy Math to Fool Court

  mugshot via stltoday.comDr. Charles Earnshaw​On Tuedsay, Dr. Charles Earnshaw of Alton, Illinois pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and unlawful use of a weapon. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop other weapons and DUI charges the doctor was facing. The judge in the case also ruled that Earnshaw would face no penalty since he'd abided by court-imposed restrictions for the past 42 months, including a curfew, avoiding places that serve alcohol, and meeting with a pro

  October 15, 2009

• Your Coke Connection Might Be "Cerrado": Ten St. Louisans Busted In Nationwide Sting

  In a two-day bodyslam of the Mexican drug cartel, "La Familia," law enforcers in 19 different states arrested 303 individuals, including 10 from the St. Louis area. ​Five of the locals put in bracelets were Mexican nationals: Wlfrado Navarrete-Hernandez, 36, St. Ann, MOMaria Valazquez, 40, St. Ann, MOReynaldo Reyes-Fuentes, a/k/a Miguel Becerril, 36, Bridgeton, MOEduardo Olivas-Contreras, a/k/a Walo, 40, Bridgeton, MOOmar Figueroa Solis, a/k/a Omara Armondo Cervantis, 24, Hazelwood, MOAuthorit

  October 22, 2009