On the evening of May 8, 2017, 21-year-old Alexander Noodel was the victim of a brutal and calculated murder in St. Louis, Missouri. Noodel was drag racing when two vehicles ambushed him, with four men jumping out and unleashing a barrage of over 100 rounds of gunfire. He was struck in the head and fatally wounded. A passenger in Noodel's vehicle managed to escape the hail of bullets by returning fire.
The investigation into Alexander Noodel's death revealed a sinister plot orchestrated
by a local drug trafficking ring. Maurice Herbert Lee II, a dealer of fentanyl and crystal methamphetamine, had placed a bounty ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 on the heads of rival gang members. Noodel was targeted as part of this violent dispute. Investigators uncovered group messages between members of the drug operation that detailed the premeditated plan to murder him. The investigation into this violent enterprise was a joint effort by the St. Louis County Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
In the years following the murder, several individuals were brought to justice for their roles in the crime and the larger drug operation. Tremayne Silas, one of the shooters, was arrested on January 24, 2018, and was found in possession of the rifle he used in the attack. He later pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death. For his participation in the murder, Silas was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Other members of the drug gang, including Christopher Jerrin Warlick Jr., Jerome Lamont Fisher Jr., and Charles Dariel Guice, were also identified as being involved in the shooting. The leader of the drug operation, Maurice Herbert Lee II, was also charged. By May 2023, a total of 17 people involved in the drug ring had pleaded guilty to various charges related to the operation and the murders it was connected to, with some awaiting sentencing.
