In the summer of 2017, on the 8th of June, a violent encounter in the 1400 block of Desoto in Saint Louis, Missouri, tragically ended the life of 35-year-old Gentrail Wafford. Wafford, a male, found himself in the midst of a robbery attempt. In an act of defense for another individual, Roderick Silinzy, Wafford drew his own weapon but was fatally shot in the ensuing exchange of gunfire.
Emergency services responded to the scene and transported him to a local hospital, but he succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds to his upper torso.
The investigation into the shooting led to the identification of two suspects, Terrance Williams and Brandon Cross. In July 2017, Williams was formally charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and two counts of armed criminal action. Later, in April 2018, Cross was also charged with first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. The motive behind the shooting was initially suggested by investigators to be an argument concerning a female acquaintance.
The legal proceedings that followed took a significant turn when Terrance Williams went to trial. In a courtroom with over 20 witnesses, many from a neighborhood known for heavy drug activity, Williams claimed he acted in self-defense. The jury ultimately acquitted him of all charges, including first-degree murder, in January 2020. The trial also brought to light a disturbing element of witness intimidation connected to the case. Roderick Silinzy, the man Wafford was defending and a cooperating witness against Williams, was killed in May 2018.
Following Silinzy's death, investigators uncovered evidence of a concerted effort to intimidate witnesses. Authorities began monitoring Williams's phone calls from jail and discovered he was allegedly relaying information about witnesses to associates. This led to charges against Larry Strickland and Anthony D. Demyers for felony tampering with a victim, conspiracy to tamper with a victim, and two counts of tampering with a witness. They were accused of working together to dissuade Silinzy and two other witnesses from cooperating with the prosecution against Williams and Cross. Strickland eventually pleaded guilty to witness tampering and was sentenced to 18 months of time already served.
