Jefferson County saw seven homicides last year, the highest number the Sheriff’s Office has reported in seven years.
In 2023, the Sheriff’s Office reported one homicide in the county, which means the department experienced a 600 percent increase in homicides in 2024.
The Arnold, Byrnes Mill, Crystal City, De Soto, Festus, Hillsboro, Herculaneum and Pevely police departments reported no homicides in 2024.
The last time the Sheriff’s Office investigated seven homicides in one year was in 2017.
While homicides increased significantly last year, the Sheriff’s Office reported decreases in numerous other kinds of crime, and Sheriff Dave Marshak said the county is a safe place to live.
“While we didn’t escape some violent incidents that garnered regional attention in 2024, the reality is that Jefferson County continues to be one of the safest counties in the region and a great place to raise a family,” he said.
Marshak said he is proud all the homicide cases were cleared in 2024. Of those cases, the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged three people for first-degree murder, including one person who was charged with two murders. Two cases involved law enforcement officers who shot and killed suspects during arrest attempts, and no charges were filed in those cases.
In the other case, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office did not pursue charges because it determined the shooting was in self-defense.
“An important thing worth noting is that beyond the officer-involved shootings, the homicide victims in our county were all killed by persons that had a relationship with the killer,” Marshak said. “Chances of being killed by an unknown assailant in Jefferson County are minute, so we continue to have a safe community.”
Homicides
The following is a look at the seven homicides the Sheriff’s Office investigated in 2024.
■ Feb. 26: Jefferson County deputies fatally shot Anthony Joseph Stratmann Jr., 37, of Imperial after he allegedly threatened them with a hammer when they tried to arrest him on a felony warrant in the Lifestyle Mobile Home Park south of Festus. Stratmann had been charged for making a first-degree terrorist threat, a class D felony, for allegedly threatening to kill four Jefferson County judges on Feb. 21.
The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and did not file charges against the deputies.
■ Feb. 29: A 20-year-old Fenton-area man shot and killed a 39-year-old St. Louis man at a home in the 800 block of Matthews Drive in the Jefferson County portion of Fenton. The Fenton-area man reportedly was trying to stop the other man from assaulting a woman.
The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office did not pursue charges in the case after determining the shooting was done in self-defense.
■ May 23: Terry Pfeffer, 45, of Arnold died after being shot by St. Louis Police officers in the 1100 block of Westward Trails Drive of Imperial. St. Louis Police had pursued Pfeffer after attempting to stop a stolen pickup he was driving near the intersection of South Broadway and East Schirmer Street.
Pfeffer allegedly shot at officers when they attempted to stop the pickup, and he continued to shoot at officers during a chase that went through St. Louis County before ending in Jefferson County.
The Prosecuting Attorney’s Officer reviewed the case and did not file charges against the St. Louis Police officers.
■ May 28: Ashley Parmeley of Pevely was charged with two counts of first-degree murder after driving to the Festus Police Station and telling officers she killed her children – Scarlet Parmeley-Daugherty, 9, and Isaac Baum, 2.
Parmeley’s attorney, Patrick Austermann, has said that Parmeley intends to plead not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, according to court records.
■ Aug. 21: Chaptur Wagoner of Arnold was charged with first-degree murder for allegedly shooting and killing Timothy Geitz, 43, of St. Louis after an apparent drug deal went bad. Wagoner allegedly admitted to firing a gun at Geitz’s vehicle that he was chasing in the 400 block of Lombard Lane in Imperial.
■ Dec. 24: Harold E. Luster of High Ridge was charged with first-degree murder for allegedly shooting and killing his son, Kevin M. Ward, 26, of St. Louis. Luster allegedly threatened his son’s fiancee before shooting his son in the head in the 6400 block of Hwy. PP in High Ridge.
Marshak noted that the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office investigates all officer-involved shootings.
“Most people fail to understand that when one person dies as a result of the actions of another, the Medical Examiner classifies the death as a ‘homicide’ regardless if the death was in ‘self-defense’ of a person, or in some cases, an officer-involved shooting,” he said. “As an agency tasked with investigations, evidence and testimony, we are in a good position to make judgements of force encounters, but all lethal encounters are reviewed by the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.”
Arnold Police
Arnold Police reported a 7.6 percent decrease in crime from 2023 to 2024, with nearly all property crimes, such as vehicle thefts and larceny, dropping from the previous year.
“Overall, the city of Arnold has historically been and remains a safe community for residents and visitors,” Chief Brian Carroll said.
While no homicides were reported in Arnold, there were slight increases in the number of sexual assaults and felony assaults.
Arnold had 23 sexual assaults last year, and that number has risen in each of the last five years, with 14 in 2020, 18 in 2021, 20 in 2022 and 21 in 2023.
Felony assaults increased each of the last three years, with 39 reported in 2024, 36 in 2023 and 26 in 2021. Misdemeanor assaults, on the other hand, fell from 146 in 2023 to 126 last year.
“While there has been a slight increase in felony assaults and sexual assaults, I do not feel the increase is significant enough to be considered troubling,” Carroll said. “More victims may be coming forward due to an increase in trust with law enforcement, more awareness campaigns or support groups.”
Arnold Police reported that vehicle theft decreased from 44 in 2023 to 29 last year; thefts from vehicles fell from 49 to 36; shoplifting dropped from 390 to 354; and other larcenies went down from 147 to 114.
“It is always rewarding to see any decrease in crime statistics,” Carroll said. “A decrease in crime statistics reaffirms the effectiveness of proactive policing by the men and women of the Arnold Police Department.”
Byrnes Mill
The Byrnes Mill Police reported reductions in six crime categories, and for a second straight year the city had no homicides or robberies in 2024.
Domestic violence cases fell from 29 in 2023 to 19 last year; assaults dropped from 19 to 12; larcenies decreased from 15 to 11; vehicle thefts fell from four to two; sexual assaults dropped from four to two; and arson fell from one in 2023 to zero last year.
“I am pleased that all of the listed crime categories have come down in the last year,” Chief Frank T. Selvaggio said. “I feel that our involvement in community events and increased patrols in our neighborhoods have had a positive effect in reducing these numbers.”
Police are actively trying to reduce the number of domestic violence calls in the city.
“Our continued intervention with families when minor incidents occur may help reduce future domestic calls at the same residences,” he said.
In addition, Byrnes Mill had four burglaries in 2024, the same number it had in 2023.
Selvaggio said he believes the city is a safe place to live and work.
De Soto
De Soto Police reported increases in assaults, domestic violence cases, burglaries, larcenies and vehicle thefts in 2024.
However, Chief Jeff McCreary said the city is still a safe place to live.
He also said the department was down three to four officers last year, which likely contributed to the increases.
“Our manpower problems were a big challenge,” he said.
The number of assault reports rose from 20 in 2023 to 32 last year; domestic violent cases increased from 65 to 89; burglaries rose from nine to 15; larcenies jumped from 75 to 102; vehicle thefts increased from eight to 13; and while there were no robberies in 2023, there were four in 2024.
“All our theft categories and burglary is a definite attention-grabber,” McCreary said. “I believe that solving our manpower issues and having more aggressive patrol presence will help decrease that number.”
McCreary said De Soto Police has changed its hiring practice to streamline hiring and training officers.
He also praised the city’s officers.
“While shorthanded, we had a total of 22,387 calls for service,” he said. “This number includes both calls to the dispatch center as well as officer self-generated calls (such as traffic stops and events witnessed by officers). I’m proud of the officers who stepped up and worked a large amount of overtime and switched shifts to make everything work.”
Festus
The Festus Police reported a decline in most crime categories.
The department said assaults fell from 43 in 2023 to 34 in 2024; domestic violence cases fell from 115 to 82; burglaries dropped from 11 to 10; larcenies fell from 152 to 110; and vehicle thefts declined from 23 to 17.
“I am pleased to see our overall theft reports and stolen vehicle reports going down,” Chief Doug Wendel said. “We focus a lot of manpower on late-night shifts traveling through our various subdivisions looking for individuals trying to break into and or steal motor vehicles. We have seen a decrease in these crimes since stepping up these patrols.”
Wendel said he believes crime is low in the Twin Cities due to the combined efforts of his department and the neighboring Crystal City Police Department, adding that the area is a safe place to live.
“We have two outstanding police departments that work hand in hand every day to keep our community safe,” he said.
Sheriff’s Office
The Sheriff’s Office reported a drop in seven crime categories for 2024.
The number of rapes fell from 33 to 25; robbery decreased from 13 to 11; assaults dropped from 862 to 851; domestic violence cases dipped from 1,119 to 1,066; burglaries fell from 310 to 258; larcenies went down from 980 to 904; and vehicle thefts decreased from 258 to 222.
“I’m glad to see reductions in crime, and considering the myriads of issues law enforcement faces, I feel like we and the municipal police departments do a good job,” Marshak said. “However, it’s critical to understand that law enforcement is only one piece to a very large puzzle when it comes to public safety. The entire justice system, from prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, Department of Corrections and others, play a significant role in those numbers.”