On April 22, 2015, violence erupted in the 8000 block of Busiek Avenue in Berkeley, a suburb of Saint Louis, Missouri. Travis Hayden, a 28-year-old male, was found by responding officers lying in the street, unresponsive and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The shooting, which occurred just before 12:30 p.m., prompted an immediate investigation by the Berkeley Police Department, who quickly determined that the incident was not a random act of violence but likely involved individuals who
were acquainted with one another. Hayden was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Investigators soon identified a suspect in the slaying, William 'Chuckie' Clarett. A witness to the crime provided a written statement to police on the day of the shooting and successfully identified Clarett from a photo lineup as the shooter. Authorities issued a wanted description, and Clarett was eventually taken into custody on December 31, 2015. Following his arrest, he was charged by state prosecutors with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. While awaiting trial at the St. Louis County Justice Center, the legal proceedings took a complex turn due to Clarett's actions behind bars.
In early 2016, while detained, Clarett attempted to orchestrate the assassination of the sole eyewitness who had identified him. He confided in a fellow inmate, asking for assistance in finding a hitman to eliminate the witness to prevent them from testifying. The inmate, however, alerted authorities, leading the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to arrange a sting operation. An undercover officer posed as a hitman, communicating with Clarett over the phone multiple times. The plot culminated in July 2016 when Clarett met with the undercover agent at the jail, providing a photograph of the witness and authorizing a down payment of $500 from his commissary funds to carry out the murder.
Federal prosecutors subsequently charged Clarett with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. He was found guilty of this charge in May 2017. During the sentencing hearing in September 2017, a U.S. District Judge sentenced Clarett to 120 months in federal prison for his attempt to arrange the contract killing. The federal case highlighted the extreme measures the suspect took to subvert the judicial process regarding the death of Travis Hayden.
