Murder and Homicide

47-Year-Old Woman Found Strangled, Left in Alleyway, Police Say (St. Louis Homicide No. 27)

Update: St. Louis metro police have just released the identity of a woman who was found strangled to death in an alleyway this week. Our original coverage is below. 47-year-old Aretha Robinson, who lived on the 4500 block of Natural Bridge Avenue, is the homicide victim who was abandoned on South ... More >>

Sophia Moore: St. Louis Mother Allegedly Stabbed to Death in Front of Her Two Children

If you don't want sad news on Valentine's Day, we recommend you read no further. Today, we bring you the story of what appears to be a horrific homicide in St. Louis County this week -- in which Sophia Moore, 28, was allegedly punched and stabbed to death by her estranged boyfriend. Her two sons, ... More >>

Missouri Has Highest Rate of Black Homicide in the Nation -- For Third Year in a Row

Here's a very unfortunate title for Missouri -- and it's one the state is officially holding on to for the third year in a row: No. 1 in "black homicide victimization." So says the Washington D.C-based research group Violence Policy Center, which released results this week of an annual study of homi ... More >>

St. Louis Homicide No. 15: Steven Woodson, 26, Shot; Police Chase Suspect Karlos Culberson

Steven Woodson, 26, is the latest victim of gun violence in the City of St. Louis -- and the fifteenth person lost to homicide so far this year. Officers found him dead last night -- and successfully chased down suspect Karlos Culberson on foot. Culberson, 31, was taken into custody and the Circui ... More >>

City's Homicide Total for 2012 Matches Previous Year

The city of St. Louis saw 113 homicides in 2012 -- the exact same tally as the previous year. Some of these homicides got more press than others. Sarah Billingsley-Walker, age 18, was Vashon High School's homecoming queen and co-valedictorian. She was strangled to death. Aniya Cook, also 18, was a N ... More >>

UPDATE: Darnell Vaughn, Still at Large, Charged with Murders of Claudia Williams, Tasheera Johnson

Darnell "Chuckie" Vaughn, 29, has been charged with the double murder of Claudia Williams and Tasheera Johnson, despite still being at large. Authorities say Vaughn shot and killed the two women in the Ferguson townhome of  Williams, his estranged girlfriend, on August 31; Johnson's 1-year-old ... More >>

Davionte Williams Charged in Connection with Murder of Daniil Maksimenko

St. Louis County prosecutors have charged Davionte M. Williams, 18, for his involvement in the murder of Imo's delivery driver Daniil Maksimenko. Maksimenko, 22, was killed May 19 while delivering a pizza to a home in the 2200 block of Erick Avenue. He was ambushed before he even got out of his car; ... More >>

Wash. U is 16th Most Crime-Riddled Campus

According to The Daily Beast, Washington University is a premiere institution for hitting the books or getting hit over the head. Using data from the U.S. Department of Education, the blog used incidents of murder, robbery, assault, burglaries, and car thefts between 2008 and 2010 to populate their ... More >>

Drug-Induced Homicide Charges Dropped Against RFT Profile Subject, Angela Halliday

Madison County prosecutors have dropped murder charges against Angela Halliday, a heroin junkie who had been accused of facilitating the deaths of an acquaintance and her boyfriend. The decision to drop the charges came after Judge James Hackett, who was to hear Halliday's case, stopped the trial of ... More >>

Code Dead: Do the encrypted writings of Ricky McCormick hold the key to his mysterious death?

Parking Ticket Amnesty Day Can't Erase Woman's Murder Warrant

Only in St. Louis... Michael D. Sorkin of the Post-Dispatch had a colorful little article yesterday on St. Louis' amnesty day for people with parking tickets. Those with delinquent citations could head down to America's Center and pay the original fine for their outstanding ticket. But as Sorkin rep ... More >>

Probable Cause: Clay Waller Killed Wife, Jacque Sue Waller, Hid Body and Blood

Following a ten-month investigation, the Cape Girardeau County prosecutors this morning filed first-degree murder charges against Clay Waller, the man long suspected of murdering his estranged wife, Jacque Sue Waller. The probable cause statement issued today is the most complete telling ever of the ... More >>

Missouri Leads Nation in Black Homicides

​The Violence Policy Center released its analysis of homicide data for the year 2009 (the most recent year with full available statistics), and for the second year straight, Missouri leads the nation in black homicide victimization. With 239 black homicide victims statewide (206 male and 33 female ... More >>

Alyssa Bustamante: Teen Describes How She Murdered Neighbor

​Alyssa Bustamante, the mid-Missouri teenager in jail for two years on charges that she murdered her 9-year-old neighbor because she "wanted to know what it felt like" to kill someone, pleaded guilty yesterday. The confession came as prosecutors reduced their first-degree murder charge to second-d ... More >>

St. Louis Homicides Drop 20 Percent Thanks to Slow 4th Quarter

​St. Louis had 21 percent fewer homicides in 2011 compared to 2010, according to preliminary crime figures from the police department. That's great news, though it isn't the first time in recent history that the city's murder rate has plunged inexplicably. The early 2000s saw a huge drop in homici ... More >>

St. Louis Murder Rate on Pace With Last Year; Blacks Disproportionately Impacted

​After trending slightly higher for much of 2011, the St. Louis murder rate last week did something it hasn't done all year: pull into an exact tie with the number of people killed in 2010. Through October 27, St. Louis police categorized 103 deaths this year as homicides. The number was the exact ... More >>

Carl Pearson: St. Louis Homicide No. 100, Homeless Man Shot in Legs

Carl Pearson became St. Louis' 100th homicide victim of the year last night when he was gunned down in the 5500 block of Clemens (below) just north of Delmar and between Goodfellow and Union. ​St. Louis police report that they got a call around 9:45 p.m. of shots fired and found the 62-year-old vi ... More >>

Scott Moore: Baseball-Bat Murderer Guilty in Death of Granite City Woman

Granite City PoliceScott Moore: Guilty in 2009 baseball-bat murder.​It took a Madison County jury less than two hours yesterday to convict 34-year-old Scott Moore of first-degree murder and armed robbery in the gruesome slaying of Catherine Fowler. Fowler's body was discovered bludgeoned to death ... More >>

Lori Vaughn: North County Woman Murdered Inside Her Home

​St. Louis County police are investigating the murder of a 29-year-old woman shot dead inside her Flordell Hills home Saturday. Police arrived to the residence on Manette Drive around 10:20 p.m. July 16 to discover Lori Vaughn dead from gunshot wounds. As of yesterday, police knew of no motive in ... More >>

Vincent L. Gillespie: St. Louis Homicide No. 70

The death of a 50-year-old man with trauma to the face has been officially reclassified as a homicide, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.Vincent L. Gillespie's body was found in the 1400 block of Glasgow on the morning of July 3. His death was originally classified merely as ... More >>

Baby Found Dead in South-City Trash Bin

The 2300 block of South Jefferson, where an 18-month-old boy was reported missing -- and then found in a trash bin 30 minutes later.​ An 18-month-old south-city boy, reported missing by his family earlier this morning, was found dead in a trash bin near the family's home, according to the St. ... More >>

Anytrone DeMarco Jones: St. Louis Homicide No. 19; Teen Shot in Back in Church Lot

Seventeen-year-old Anytrone DeMarco Jones became St. Louis' 19th homicide of the year Tuesday when he was found gunned down in a church parking lot in the 900 block of North Taylor (below). ​St. Louis police report that Jones, of the 3000 block of West Norwood Drive, was shot multiple times in the ... More >>

Teen Homicides Drop In St. Louis, Though Few Murderers Brought to Justice

Of the 29 people age 13-21 murdered in St. Louis last year, prosecutors have filed charges in just five cases.​The St. Louis police department last week returned my public records request looking into teen homicides for 2010. The good news is that the number of juveniles killed in the city dropped ... More >>

Missouri Leads Nation in Black Homicides -- By a Long Shot

​The Washington D.C. gun-control group Violence Policy Center released its annual report yesterday on African-American homicides across the nation. Once again, Missouri topped the rankings, beating its nearest competitor by eight percentage points. The study -- which used the latest available FBI ... More >>

Unofficial 2010 Homicide Totals for St. Louis: 142 Dead

​St. Louis police have released the preliminary body count for 2010. According to police, at least 142 people were murdered inside city limits in 2010. That's one fewer than last year. Then again, the number could still change. Police say it won't be until mid-January until the FBI verifies the da ... More >>

Jesse James Beasley: St. Louis Man Arrested for Murder of Stephanie Hill

Courtesy of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police DepartmentJesse James Beasley: Police allege he's a murderer.​St. Louis City Police have arrested a 47-year-old man for the murder of Stephanie Hill, 43, of the 1200 block of Warren in north city.Hill's death was previously categorized as "suspicious." ... More >>

Ladon Grissom: Suspect Charged in Murder of Two Men Saturday

Ladon Grissom​The St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office has charged 26-year-old Ladon Grissom with the shooting deaths of two men gunned down Saturday evening in north city. As reported earlier this week, Terrence Snipes, 46, and Demetrius Hewlett, 41, had just left a residence in the 4200 block of ... More >>

Devarick Thompson: Arrested for Murder After Refusing to Pay MetroLink Fare

Devarick Thompson: Can't buy a break.​Don't you think that if you're wanted for murder you'd do everything you can not to call attention from the cops? Then again, if you're a stupid criminal -- as seems to be the case of Devarick Thompson -- you just can't help yourself. You're just plain dumb. A ... More >>

St. Louis Yoga Instructor Won't Fight Extradition; Joel Snider Accused of Murder

yogaforeverybody.comSnider: In a bit of a jam.​The St. Louis yoga instructor accused of killing a 70-year-old yoga guru in Pennsylvania has waived his right to an extradition hearing. Joel Snider, 33, was arrested in Baltimore County, Maryland, last Wednesday -- two days after police in rural Penn ... More >>

Zachary Irvin: Identified as Charred Body in East St. Louis; Two Men Arrested for Murder

​It took investigators five days to identify the body found burning Tuesday in East St. Louis as that of Zachary Irvin, 22. The Major Case Squad made the announcement Saturday, saying that they've also filed charges against two men they believe killed Irvin and then set his dismembered body afire ... More >>

The Killer of His Daughter's Mother

A cunning American boy becomes a Mexican cartel soldier and East LA executioner

James Kornhardt: Former Mehlville Fighter Convicted in Murder Plot of Danny Coleman

Kornhardt was paid for the murder from the victim's life insurance policy.​Eighteen years after the fact, the family of Danny Harold Coleman finally got some justice. Yesterday a federal jury convicted James K. Kornhardt and Steven A. Mueller of conspiracy to commit murder for hire and murder fo ... More >>

Jarrell Fountain: Teenager Stabbed to Death Near Belleville Elementary School

For the second time in a week a metro St. Louis man has been murdered at or near a local elementary school. Google Street View​Today's homicide was first reported at 6:30 a.m. when Belleville police were called to a home in the 300 block of N. First Street after the owner of the property discovere ... More >>

Aaron Jackson: Charged with Murder of Washington Park Mayor John Thornton

Aaron B. Jackson​Have you seen this man? He's wanted for the murder of Washington Park Mayor John Thornton, shot to death in the early morning hours of April 1. Aaron B. Jackson, 34, was picked up early in the investigation and questioned by police as a "person of interest" in the crime. Jackson w ... More >>

Louis Ray Finchem: Man Found Dead in Holly Hills, Homicide Investigating

Louis Ray Finchem, a 67-year-old south St. Louis resident, was found dead in his home in the 5200 block of Dewey Ave. yesterday around 7 p.m. 5200 block of Dewey​Initially ruled an accidental death, St. Louis police are now investigating the case as a possible homicide after the medical examiner d ... More >>

St. Louis Police: 20 Homicides So Far in 2010 -- Seven More Than First Two Months of '09

​Murders are up in St. Louis so far in 2010, though those figures are slightly skewed by the actions of a deranged gunman who killed three people and wounded five others in a workplace shooting in January. Responding to a Daily RFT request yesterday, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department co ... More >>

St. Louis: Violent Crime Down Slightly in City, Even More in County

​The city and county police departments have released their 2009 crime figures, showing that violent crime fell across the region last year. In the city, crimes against persons dropped slightly by less than one percent in 2009, with one of the biggest percentage drops reported in the overall homic ... More >>

Dissecting Teen Homicide Numbers in St. Louis

Photo: Jennifer SilverbergA street memorials honors Robert Walker, a 17-year-old gunned down in St. Louis in 2006.​Last week I asked the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to provide me with some raw numbers concerning homicides. In particular, I was interested in knowing how many teenagers ... More >>

The Big Bloody: 60-Year-Old Man Guns Down Teen

Johnnie Pulley, Jr.Yesterday we reported how the rate of teenage homicides in St. Louis isn't falling as fast as the overall decline in murders this year. And true to form, the second half of 2009 (which began yesterday, July 1) started out with a fresh teen homicide. This one, though, was somewhat ... More >>

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. Gi ... More >>

St. Louis: Nation's Second Deadliest City in '08

flickr.com/photos/poohbahThe FBI came out with its 2008 crime statistics this week. And when it comes to murder rates, our fair city has a dubious distinction. St. Louis ranked second per capita last year in the number of homicides committed in the city, with 47 slayings per 100,000 people. Leadi ... More >>

The Big Bloody: Maggie O'Brien's Bartender Killed in Violent Night That Leaves Three Dead

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department reports this morning that three people died from gunshot wounds in the city last night. Two of the deaths -- involving the murder of a downtown St. Louis bartender -- may be related. Police say that around 11:45 p.m. last night a white male bartender in h ... More >>

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 yea ... More >>

Dead on Arrival

A murder case ends as it began: bizarrely

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.

Best Evidence

George Allen claims police made him confess to rape and murder. Twenty years after Allen was convicted, his last hope hinges on a DNA test.

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

The Lost Boys

News of the Weird

The Conviction of Tim Dreste

Tim Dreste's journey from Christian missionary to anti-abortion racketeer cost him a $6 million federal fine for his role in threatening to "kill, assault or do bodily harm" to abortion providers. But he isn't about to stop his crusade.