Darin Gosejohan, a 57-year-old male, was killed during a home invasion in the early morning hours of May 22, 2023, at his residence in the 1600 block of Country Acres Drive in Saint Peters, Missouri. The incident unfolded around 1:40 a.m. when a suspect broke into the home where Gosejohan lived with his family. Surveillance footage from inside the residence captured a large figure ascending the stairs, wielding a flashlight in one hand and a small revolver in the other.
The intruder
confronted Gosejohan’s 13-year-old daughter and ordered her to go downstairs before proceeding to the master bedroom. The security camera recorded the sounds of a confrontation, shouting, and subsequent gunfire. Amid the chaos, the teenage girl attempted to flee the house but was unable to unlock the front door and was forced to retreat upstairs. The assailant then exited the property. When police arrived, they found Darin Gosejohan dead at the scene. His 45-year-old wife and their daughter had also sustained gunshot wounds but survived their injuries after being transported to a hospital.
Investigators quickly identified a suspect based on witness statements and video evidence. Gosejohan’s sister identified the shooter as her boyfriend, 51-year-old Christopher L. Harper of St. Louis, and confirmed the vehicle seen in the footage was hers. The motive for the violence was allegedly rooted in a prolonged family dispute over finances; Gosejohan had recently been granted conservatorship over his parents, a legal move that cut his sister off from their money and initiated her eviction from their property.
Christopher Harper was arrested shortly after the incident and held without bond. Prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree assault, and armed criminal action. As of late 2024, court records indicated that Harper remained in custody with a jury trial scheduled to begin in October of that year. Harper also filed a civil rights lawsuit against various individuals involved in the case, including family members and law enforcement, but the suit was administratively closed pending the outcome of his criminal trial.
