A 24-year-old man has been arrested in Hazelwood after a 19-year-old man was killed. The Missouri authorities were led to arrest the suspect after analyzing the victim’s Craigslist activity. Now, the suspect is likely exploring criminal defense options alongside his legal counsel.
The investigators reportedly discovered that the victim had put an ad on Craigslist in an attempt to sell his vehicle. By looking through his emails, the investigators discovered that the victim and suspect had been communicating with each other, and the suspect allegedly had an interest in buying the vehicle. Supposedly, the two agreed to meet each other at a location that was purportedly close to where the suspect worked.
The victim’s body was discovered with his vehicle, and he had allegedly died from a single gunshot wound. Whatever motive the authorities have for the crime is not clear, but they have arrested the suspect on a murder charge and booked him into police custody. He still remains in custody in lieu of a $1 million bond.
Any time a person is accused of committing a crime in Missouri, that person remains innocent until, and only if, he is proved guilty by sufficient evidence. Just because the authorities allegedly have evidence stating that the suspect had intentions to meet with the victim does not necessarily indicate that he took the man’s life. As police continue to investigate, the man will have the opportunity to form his criminal defense in a manner that he deems most beneficial to his case as he prepares to contend with his accusations.
Source: ABC News, “St. Louis Man Charged in Killing of Illinois College Student”, Alan Scher Zagier, May 7, 2015