St. Louis police are again asking for the public’s help in the unsolved killing of Richard Walters, renewing their plea on July 19 as the case nears three years without an arrest. Walters, 18, was found shot on a porch in October 2021, and the Homicide Division says it is still banking on community tips or video footage to crack the case. Investigators stress that even the smallest detail, whether it is a passing car, a familiar voice, or old home-camera video, could be what finally moves this cold case forward.
In a post titled “Do you know who killed Richard Walters?,” the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department urged residents to dig through any archived video and reach out with tips. The full appeal appears on the department’s Facebook page and directs people to contact homicide detectives directly or to submit anonymous information through CrimeStoppers.
Case details
Officers found Walters with gunshot wounds on a porch on Oct. 2, 2021, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, as reported shortly after the shooting. Initial coverage identified him as 18-year-old Richard Walters and noted that there were no reported arrests in the immediate aftermath of the killing, according to the Associated Press.
How to help detectives
The SLMPD is asking anyone with information to contact the Homicide Division at (314) 444-5371 or email [email protected]. Anonymous tips can be shared with CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477). Those numbers, along with additional guidance on submitting tips, are listed on the city’s Homicide Division webpage.
Why police are still asking
Cold-case pushes like Sunday’s spotlight are part of a wider effort in a city that has long struggled to close homicide investigations. A 2024 investigation by St. Louis Public Radio and APM Reports found that more than 1,000 homicides in the city have remained unsolved going back to 2014, a sobering backdrop that shows why police keep coming back to the public for help. The scope of those unsolved killings was detailed by APM Reports.
Detectives are asking anyone who might have information, no matter how minor it may seem, to revisit any old doorbell, security, or dashcam footage from around Oct. 2, 2021, and to contact SLMPD or CrimeStoppers if they see or remember anything relevant. More information, along with a list of other unsolved cases, is posted on the department’s unsolved-homicides page.
