On March 10, 2019, police officers in the St. Louis area responded to a welfare check request at a residence on the 40 block of Grether Avenue in Calverton Park. Upon entering the home shortly before 1:00 AM, authorities discovered the lifeless body of 23-year-old Demetria Howard, a Black female who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene, launching an immediate homicide investigation led by the Major Case Squad of Greater St.
Louis.
Detectives quickly focused their attention on the victim's personal life and relationships. Howard had recently moved into the Calverton Park home in an effort to distance herself from a tumultuous and reportedly toxic relationship with the father of her two young children. Surveillance footage obtained during the inquiry provided critical evidence, revealing that a man had entered Howard's home on the night of the murder and later returned accompanied by an unidentified individual.
The investigation identified the primary suspect as 24-year-old Perry Green, Howard's long-term on-and-off partner. Following his apprehension, Green confessed to the crime while in police custody, admitting that he had shot Howard during an argument and subsequently attempted to conceal the offense by disposing of the weapon and collecting shell casings. Prosecutors subsequently charged Green with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, holding him on a $500,000 bond at the St. Louis County Department of Corrections.
