Martin Rybialek, 42, was fatally shot in the basement of an apartment building in the 2700 block of Dalton Avenue in the Southwest Garden neighborhood of St. Louis in the early morning hours of January 12, 2022. Officers responded to reports of shots fired just before 6:40 a.m. and Rybialek was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators found the residence was being used for the distribution of methamphetamine. A witness said three acquaintances had come to the complex that morning and that Dontae Mentria, 33, was the only person in the basement with Rybialek when the shooting occurred; after gunfire, three people were seen leaving in two vans. Mentria, who had prior felony convictions that barred him from owning a firearm, later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, armed criminal action, and unlawful possession of a firearm and received an 18-year prison sentence on March 25, 2025. Rybialek’s ex-wife spoke at sentencing about the impact on their child.

Are there details about the basement scene or the three people who left in the vans that someone can help clarify?