On the morning of September 5, 2014, brothers Steven Dent, 25, and James Dent, 34, were fatally shot in St. Louis’ West End after getting off a city bus following a night shift. James was found on a sidewalk in the 1200 block of Goodfellow Boulevard with fatal gunshot wounds to his upper torso and was pronounced dead at the scene. Steven was located nearby along a curb in the 5800 block of Julian Avenue, also suffering fatal gunshot wounds to his upper torso.

The double homicide went unsolved for more than two years until an eyewitness identified a suspect. In January 2017, 26-year-old Derrie Williams was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and armed criminal action and taken into custody. Defense attorneys later challenged aspects of the investigation and noted there was no DNA tying Williams to the scene, while prosecutors relied on the witness testimony and the available evidence. In July 2018 a jury convicted Williams of first-degree murder for one brother, second-degree murder for the other, and two counts of armed criminal action; he received life without parole in September 2018. Steven and James Dent’s mother, Valerie Dent, who founded St. Louis Mothers in Charge after their deaths, said the sentence brought her a measure of peace and ensured the perpetrator could no longer harm the community.

Did anyone in the West End area see the brothers returning from their shift that morning or notice anything unusual near Goodfellow Boulevard and Julian Avenue?