Federal prosecutors in St. Louis say they will pursue the death penalty against two men accused in the abduction and killing of Michelle Hampton, who was taken from her Clayton apartment on Nov. 20, 2024, and later found shot to death in an alley in north St. Louis.
The decision targets 43-year-old Anjuan Mosby and 36-year-old Emmanuel D. Suarez, who authorities say were involved in Hampton’s kidnapping and killing, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The outlet reports that prosecutors filed formal paperwork this week announcing their intent to seek capital punishment.
How Prosecutors Say It Unfolded
Investigators allege Hampton was forced into a yellow Dodge Ram and driven to multiple banks, where she was ordered to withdraw cash. Bank surveillance cameras later reportedly captured her in the truck during attempted withdrawals. She was ultimately found with multiple gunshot wounds in an alley near the 4700 block of Greer Avenue in north St. Louis, according to public statements from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri.
Charges and Defendants' Records
Mosby is charged in federal court with kidnapping resulting in death and also faces state counts that include first-degree murder, robbery and armed criminal action, according to court filings. Suarez faces state murder and weapons charges.
Police say Mosby admitted to the crimes after his arrest, and reporting notes he has been convicted of multiple state offenses and two federal gun crimes over the past 25 years, according to KMOX.
What Seeking Capital Means
Under federal rules, seeking the death penalty triggers a lengthy internal process. Capital-eligible cases must be submitted by U.S. Attorneys to the Justice Department’s Capital Case Section, and the Attorney General has to personally authorize any death-penalty request, according to the Justice Manual.
These prosecutions are typically resource-heavy, with added pretrial notices, mitigation procedures and extra layers of review before a jury can ever consider a death sentence.
What’s Next in the Case
With the formal notice filed, prosecutors will now assemble the materials required for the federal review, and the court in St. Louis is expected to set schedules and pretrial deadlines.
Both defendants remain presumed innocent as the case moves forward. Capital filings often extend timelines, and cases like this can take years to fully resolve.
Investigators are still asking anyone with information about the killing to contact the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Division, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
