On the night of August 14, 2021, a violent series of events unfolded in the Peabody-Darst-Webbe neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, claiming the life of an 18-year-old male named Dwayne Lavell Wysinger Jr. Officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department responded to a call around 11:30 p.m. regarding a shooting in the 1400 block of Lasalle Lane. Upon their arrival, first responders discovered Wysinger lying near a vehicle that had been riddled with bullets.
He had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to his upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene, marking a tragic end for the young man who was known to friends and family by nicknames such as 'Wopo Wayne.'
Years after the shooting, federal authorities brought forward serious allegations regarding the circumstances behind Wysinger's death. Following a joint investigation by local police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, prosecutors secured an indictment in May 2024 against two suspects: 25-year-old Anthony Stewart and 23-year-old Patrick Robinson. The indictment alleges that the killing was not a random act of violence but a calculated murder-for-hire plot. Investigators believe the suspects were motivated by a bounty that had been placed on Wysinger’s head.
According to court documents, the alleged perpetrators tracked Wysinger to his location on that summer night. They reportedly waited until he approached and entered his vehicle before launching their ambush, opening fire and striking him multiple times. Both Stewart and Robinson face federal charges, including conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire. As of the indictment's unsealing, the men remained in custody while awaiting trial, with prosecutors arguing for their continued detention due to the premeditated nature of the crime.
