Steven Sunkel, a White male, age 55, was killed on March 30, 2016, after a shooting in the Tower Grove South area of St. Louis, Missouri. He was discovered unconscious and not breathing in the driver’s seat of a vehicle, having suffered gunshot wounds. Emergency responders transported him to a hospital, where he later died. Investigators determined that the shooting occurred during a drug-related encounter, setting the stage for a case that would move steadily through the criminal justice
system rather than remaining unresolved.
Police identified Ricky Bolden, a St. Louis man, as the suspect in the shooting. Bolden was arrested and jailed without bond, and prosecutors initially charged him with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, and multiple counts of unlawful possession of a firearm. Authorities alleged that the violence stemmed from a drug deal gone wrong, claiming that Sunkel attempted to drive away with drugs without paying, prompting a deadly confrontation.
The case proceeded to trial two years later, with Bolden electing to be tried by a judge rather than a jury. During the proceedings, prosecutors argued that Bolden made a deliberate decision to kill Steven Sunkel when the transaction unraveled. The defense countered with a claim of self-defense, asserting that Bolden fired his weapon only after Sunkel allegedly tried to run him over with the vehicle.
The judge ultimately rejected the self-defense argument and found Ricky Bolden guilty of second-degree murder along with 11 additional counts, including illegal gun possession. Although the original charge was first-degree murder, the conviction still carried severe consequences. Bolden received a life sentence for his role in Steven Sunkel’s death, bringing legal closure to a case that began with a man found dying behind the wheel of his car and ended with a permanent prison term for his killer.
