On the afternoon of February 12, 2020, the quiet community of Uplands Park in St. Louis County, Missouri, was disturbed by a grim discovery. Police were dispatched to a residence in the 6500 block of Glenmore Avenue around 1:30 p.m. after a relative entered the home and found 30-year-old Patrick Leeper unresponsive. Upon arrival, authorities confirmed that the male victim had sustained fatal gunshot wounds, prompting the North County Police Cooperative to request the assistance of the Major
Case Squad of Greater St. Louis to lead the homicide investigation.
Detectives quickly began following leads that suggested the violence stemmed from a robbery attempt gone wrong. Investigators worked to piece together the events leading up to the shooting, gathering evidence from the scene and interviewing potential witnesses. The investigation revealed that the victim did not live alone, though specific details regarding his living arrangements were kept private during the early stages of the inquiry. Friends and family remembered him as a cheerful and upbeat individual, expressing shock at the sudden violence that had taken place inside his residence.
In the days following the murder, law enforcement officials announced significant breakthroughs in the case, identifying three teenagers as suspects involved in the incident. Two juveniles, aged 15 and 16, were taken into custody and held at the St. Louis County Juvenile Detention Center. A third suspect, identified as 17-year-old Tyree Devrouax, was charged as an adult with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, armed criminal action, and receiving stolen property. Authorities noted that Devrouax was not immediately in custody at the time the charges were announced, leading to a public appeal for information regarding his whereabouts.
