On the night of Thursday, June 9, 2016, a violent incident unfolded in the Dutchtown neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. Officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department responded to a call for shots fired at approximately 9:22 p.m. Upon arriving at a residence in the 3500 block of Bingham Avenue, they discovered the body of 24-year-old John Jerome Moore inside the home. He had sustained fatal gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into his death began immediately as homicide detectives canvassed the area for witnesses and evidence.
Weeks later, authorities announced a significant break in the case. On June 22, 2016, prosecutors charged 19-year-old Datwon Thompson with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery in connection with Moore’s death. Police identified Thompson as the lone suspect in the shooting. During the investigation, detectives linked Thompson to a second homicide that occurred just days after Moore was killed. He was accused of the June 12 shooting death of Jessica Paxton, a 23-year-old woman found dead near St. Mary’s High School. Thompson faced a total of eleven charges related to the two killings and was ordered held on a $1 million cash-only bond.
While Thompson was taken into custody and faced the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence or life behind bars, the legal proceedings against him ultimately did not result in a conviction. In January 2022, nearly six years after the murders of Moore and Paxton, Datwon Thompson himself became a victim of gun violence. He was found shot to death inside a residence at the Bristol Place Townhomes in the Old North St. Louis neighborhood. His death effectively ended the criminal prosecution regarding the murders he was accused of committing.
