St. Louis: Ten Worst Crimes of 2010 Inside "America's Most Dangerous City"

St. Louis once again topped the list as the nation's "Most Dangerous Cities" in 2010. Here, then, is a look at ten of the most-heinous crimes (ranked from bad to worse) occurring in and near the city within the past 12 months.

10. The Murder of a Mayor
John Thornton was on his way home from working an overnight shift at his second job on April 1st when the mayor of Washington Park stopped to offer a ride to a pedestrian. Little did Thornton know that his Good Samaritan act would make him another crime stat in his hardscrabble Metro East town of all-night strip clubs and liquor stores. After getting into the car, the hitchhiker robbed the mayor and then shot him twice in the chest. Following a month-long manhunt, police arrested suspect Aaron "Chill" Jackson hiding out in the nearby town of Alorton.

9. Senseless Killing of Rahmel McNeil
The 17-year-old student at Sumner High School was known among his friends and football teammates as an encouraging leader and positive role-model. Perhaps that's why Rahmel McNeil chose to walk away from a fight in his neighborhood this past September. But no good deed goes unpunished, as they say. Seconds later McNeil was shot to death in broad daylight -- just a few yards away from the initial skirmish. Terron Pool, the 16-year-old onlooker who police believe killed McNeil, reportedly pulled the trigger after friends taunted him to "just shoot" McNeil as he walked away.

8. Estranged Husband Stalks, Stabs His Wife
Mary Colletta filed a restraining order against her husband in July, unfortunately it just wasn't enough to keep her estranged spouse away. According to police, on August 3 Christopher Colletta waited near his wife's car in the parking garage of St. John's Mercy Hospital in suburban Creve Coeur. When Mary got off work that day, Christopher was there to greet her -- with a knife. Mary was stabbed at least a dozen times on the top floor of the parking garage and left for dead. Family members turned in Christoper a couple days later.

7. The Families That Kill Together...
This year was marked by two different crime sprees in which a father and son were charged with participating together in a murder.
A) In June, Devarick Thompson allegedly executed Joey Richmond, shooting him once in the forehead and three more times in the gut in a home in Pine Lawn. Suspecting that a neighbor by the name of Brian Brooks had ratted out Thompson for that murder, Thompson's step-father, Edro Odum, allegedly shot and killed Brooks. Thompson, meanwhile, went on the lam and was arrested months later when a security guard caught him trying to ride MetroLink without paying his fare.
B) Marquise Griffin was hanging out with a group of teens in Belleville on a July night when gunmen in a car fired shots into the crowd. The 15-year-old Griffin was shot in the head and died on the scene. A few days later, police charged 22-year-old Marlon Fluker Jr. with murder and his father Marlon Fluker Sr. with inciting mob action. According to police, Fluker Sr. was in the car with his son and egged junior shoot into the crowd. Both father and son have previous criminal records for aggravated battery. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.