In the early morning hours of December 27, 2012, the life of 26-year-old Tequila Brandy Sandford, a Black/African American female, was tragically cut short in the Dogtown neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. Police responded to the 6600 block of Oakland Avenue to find a grim scene. Sandford had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene. Alongside her, a male companion in his mid-twenties was also found with gunshot wounds to the head; he was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition.
The investigation into Sandford's death quickly focused on a man from her past, her ex-boyfriend, Frederick Howard. At the time of the shooting, Howard was already incarcerated, having been in jail for over a year on charges of aggravated stalking involving Sandford. Despite his incarceration, law enforcement considered him a suspect in her murder. Howard’s legal counsel sought to have his $100,000 bail reduced, arguing it was excessive for a stalking charge. However, Sandford’s family, particularly her mother, vehemently opposed the reduction, expressing fears for their safety should he be released. A St. Louis judge ultimately denied the request to lower his bail.
In the weeks following the shooting, on January 25, 2013, St. Louis police took a 26-year-old man into custody in connection with the double shooting. However, his identity was not made public as formal charges had not been filed at that time. Despite this initial arrest and the suspicion surrounding her ex-boyfriend, no one has ever been formally charged with the murder of Tequila Sandford. The case grew cold and remains an open investigation, one of the many unsolved homicides in St. Louis. Her family and friends are left with the memory of a vibrant young woman whose life was violently ended, still awaiting answers and the justice that has remained elusive for over a decade.
