Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis

Two charged in fatal shooting of Granite City man

12.14.2009 11:19 am

Two charged in fatal shooting of Granite City man

By: Terry Hillig

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

EDWARDSVILLE - Madison County prosecutors have charged two suspects with first-degree murder and armed robbery in the shooting of a Granite City man last week.

Investigators believe the victim, 19-year-old Stephen Nemsky of Granite City, met the suspects to buy marijuana but instead was robbed and fatally shot.

“A human life was taken for less than $100,” said Major John Lakin, the Madison County chief deputy sheriff.

Charged were Vincent R. Blue, 21, and Javeon D. Hawkins, 16, both of the 100 block of Brookhill Court in Collinsville. They were held without bail in the county jail in Edwardsville. Hawkins will be tried as an adult.

Nemsky died of a gunshot wound to the neck after crashing his pickup Thursday night in the 4100 block of Division Street outside Granite City.

Brad Wells, the sheriff’s chief detective, said in a news conference Monday that investigators believe the suspects arranged to meet with Nemsky on the pretext of selling him marijuana but actually planned to rob him. Wells said Nemsky and the suspects apparently were not acquainted.

Nemsky was in his truck when he was shot, Wells said. He said the truck was in reverse gear and traveled 30 to 40 yards before hitting a fence. Nemsky then got out of the truck and collapsed.

Wells said 20 sheriff’s department and Major Case Squad detectives worked on the case around the clock for nearly two days. Wells said they they linked the suspects to the crime by going over where Nemsky had been and what he had been doing. Blue was arrested Friday afternoon and Hawkins on Saturday morning. Wells said detectives recovered what they believe was the murder weapon.

Major Case Squad says two in custody in Madison County slaying

By Jeremy Kohler

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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GRANITE CITY — The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis announced minutes ago that it has arrested two men under suspicion for the fatal shooting Thursday of a 19-year-old Granite City man.

The suspects’ names were not released. The squad said it planned to seek formal charges on Monday.

Madison County sheriff s deputies were called about 10:30 p.m. on Thursday to investigate a report of a crash in the 4100 block of Division Street near Granite City. They found Stephen C. Nemsky dead in the street.

They said Nemsky had been shot during a violent encounter before crashing the car and collapsing.

Authorities say Granite City man died of gunshot wound

Authorities say Granite City man died of gunshot wound

By: Terry Hillig

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

 GRANITE CITY - A man who crashed his vehicle and then collapsed in the roadway Thursday night died of a gunshot wound, authorities said after an autopsy today.

 The man, an apparent homicide victim, was identified as Stephen C. Nemsky, 19, of the 2100 block of Robert Avenue in Granite City.

Madison County sheriff’s deputies were called about 10:30 p.m. to investigate a report of a crash in the 4100 block of Division Street near Granite City. Nemsky was dead when deputies arrived.

 Sheriff’s Capt. Brad Wells said police believe he crashed the vehicle after a “violent encounter” with one or more people.

 The sheriff’s department requested activation of the St. Louis Metropolitan Major Case Squad and the investigation is being commanded from the Madison County sheriff’s office in Edwardsville. No one was in custody.

Major Case Squad activated for death in Granite City

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Friday, Dec. 11 2009

 The Major Case Squad is investigating the death of a man who collapsed after crashing his car in Granite City.

 Police say the call came out about 10:30 p.m. Thursday in the 4100 block of Division Street in Granite City. The driver got out of the car and collapsed.

 Case squad investigators were activated late Thursday after police apparently determined that the man had become involved in a violent dispute before the crash.

 No information has been released on the victim. An autopsy Friday will determine the cause of death.

Cousin of triple-killing victim dies in accidental shooting

BY CAROLYN P. SMITH - News Democrat

EAST ST. LOUIS -- A 22-year-old East St. Louis woman, found dead Monday next to her vehicle in the Samuel Gompers Homes, was accidentally shot to death with her own gun, the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis announced Tuesday evening.

Commander Eric Van Hook said Zondra T. Garner's death was not a homicide.

Garner was the first cousin of Jaimaca McDaniel, who was one of three young women shot to death Saturday night on the parking lot of Crown Food Mart on Collinsville Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive, across the street from the site of Garner's death.

Zondra T. Garner - Provided/BND

East St. Louis triple murder suspect said to be a victim's ex-boyfriend

By Nicholas J.C. Pistor

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

11/11/2009

EAST ST. LOUIS — A man charged with killing three women outside a convenience store here is reported to be the spurned boyfriend of one of the victims — and father of one of three children who escaped injury in the attack.
Relatives of Jaimaca McDaniel, 24, one of the women ambushed Saturday night, said she had broken up with Milton Lattimore, who then made threats.
Lattimore, 21, of East St. Louis, was arrested Sunday. As prosecutors were filing first-degree murder charges against him Tuesday, detectives with the Major Case Squad were looking for potential links to another death.
On Monday afternoon, Zondra Garner, 22, McDaniel's cousin, was found fatally shot in an alley outside the Samuel Gompers housing complex in the 600 block of North 6th Street in East St. Louis.

Police release ID of woman shot to death Monday; she's related to Saturday slaying victim

News-Democrat

EAST ST. LOUIS -- Police on Tuesday released the identity of the 22-year-old woman who died of a gunshot wound Monday.

Zondra T. Garner was shot while she was in the 600 block of North Sixth Street, according to the Major Case Squad.

East St. Louis requested the help of the Major Case Squad to investigate the death of Garner, who was related to one of the three women killed Saturday in East St. Louis.

Zondra T. Garner - Provided/BND

• STORY:Police seek charges against suspect in triple homicide

Police: Pacific man kills girlfriend, cuts her up, puts her in trash

Vernell J. Loggins Jr.

By Patrick M. O'Connell

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

11/04/2009

PACIFIC -- A man stabbed his girlfriend to death at an apartment here and cut her body into pieces, officials said this afternoon after charging him with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
Vernell J. Loggins Jr., 37, is held in lieu of a $1 million cash-only bond in the slaying of Stephanie M. Fields, who would have turned 26 today.

Police said they had lived together for several months at the Monroe Woods Apartments, just north of Interstate 44 near the Pacific exit.
A maintenance worker there found parts of her body about noon Tuesday in a 64-gallon wheeled trash can that had been left next to a Dumpster at the complex.
Officials said they believe Fields was slain Nov. 1 or 2, suffering fatal wounds to the chest and neck. She was identified by tattoos. Investigators said some parts of her body remain missing, but they would not go into detail.
"It was a very violent, gruesome crime," said Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Bob Parks. "This was a domestic relationship that went terribly, terribly wrong."

Body Found In Pacific, MO Apartment Complex Trash Bin

Betsy Bruce 

PACIFIC, MO (KTVI-FOX2now.com) - The region's Major Case Squad is investigating an apparent homicide in Pacific. Detectives were called in after workers at the Monroe Woods Apartment complex discovered an adult body in a residential sized plastic trash bin just after 12 o'clock Tuesday afternoon. Residents said crime of that sort was uncharacteristic of their apartment complex. Many families with children live in the area.

The trash bin was placed next to a large commercial sized metal container in a fenced in area some fifty feet from the complex manager's office. Medical examiner staff removed the trash bin believed to contain the body shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday. As the sun set detectives turned to spot lights to brighten the commercial trash container. One by one bags of trash were carefully removed by investigators.

As of 7 p.m. Tuesday no official statements had been issued by the investigators.

A little-known service for solving big crimes

When murder happens, Major Case Squad responds

FILE PHOTO Maj. Jeff Connor, deputy commander of the Major Case Squad, speaks at a press conference earlier this year. The group has worked on hundreds of high-profile murder cases.

By Ken West Suburban Journals
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 9:43 AM CDT

Three days after Fairmont City police were called to a motel room where a body was found shot dead earlier this month, investigators had enough evidence to arrest a suspect and get murder charges filed against her.
Such a case would be a huge expense in money and time if the department had to rely on its small force with one detective. But, like other law enforcement agencies in Illinois and Missouri, Fairmont City has an ace up its sleeve: the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis, an entity unlike any other across the country.

It was formed in 1965 to bring together specially trained investigators to deal with homicides. Since then, they've tackled 451 cases, solving 86 percent.