On August 24, 2017, a tragic series of events unfolded in a home located on the 10400 block of Balmoral Drive in Glasgow Village, a community in St. Louis County, Missouri. Police officers arrived at the residence late that evening to conduct a wellness check after family members became concerned that they had not heard from their loved ones. Upon entering the home, authorities discovered a gruesome scene where four individuals had been fatally shot in separate rooms.
Among the victims was 10-year-old Terrence Dehart, a male student who had recently started the fifth grade at Forder Elementary School.
The other victims found inside the residence were identified as Terrence's 56-year-old adoptive mother, Patricia Steward, her 20-year-old son, Joseph Corley, and 18-year-old Deandre Kelley Jr., a friend of the family. Investigators noted that there were no signs of forced entry into the home, suggesting that the victims likely knew their attacker. The house appeared to be in order, but electronics and clothing had been stolen, and Patricia Steward's vehicle was missing from the driveway.
Detectives focused their investigation on Ja'Vonne Dupree, a 20-year-old man who had previously lived in the basement of the home. Steward, a local hip-hop producer, had taken Dupree in when he was homeless and had worked with him on music. The relationship had deteriorated, leading to Dupree being kicked out of the residence shortly before the murders occurred. Authorities determined that the motive for the killings was robbery, as Dupree had stolen items and the vehicle after shooting the four occupants.
Dupree fled the St. Louis area but was apprehended months later in December 2017 in Columbia, Missouri. Police linked him to the crime scene through physical evidence, including three pairs of shoes found in his possession that belonged to the victims, and social media posts where he implicated himself. During the investigation, it was revealed that Dupree had attempted to cover his tracks by picking up shell casings from the scene before fleeing.
In October 2021, a jury found Ja'Vonne Dupree guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, along with charges of robbery and armed criminal action. Prosecutors presented evidence that he had betrayed the family that once sheltered him, meticulously executing the victims to steal their property. Following the conviction, Dupree was sentenced to multiple life terms in prison without the possibility of parole, ensuring he would spend the remainder of his days behind bars for the quadruple homicide.
