Charles Howliet was a 21-year-old African American man who was found with multiple gunshot wounds in a residential area of East St. Louis, Illinois, on October 31, 2020. Witnesses reported hearing gunshots and seeing a vehicle speed away from the scene; police from East St. Louis and the Illinois State Police treated the killing as a targeted attack and initially did not capture the assailants.

Investigators later identified several suspects. Two males in their early twenties were arrested, charged with first-degree murder and related offenses, and tried in early 2021. The prosecution presented ballistic evidence, eyewitness testimony, and digital data tying the defendants to the scene; the defense called the evidence circumstantial. The jury convicted the defendants and they received lengthy prison terms.

Charles’s family filed a civil lawsuit against the suspects seeking damages for the emotional and financial impact of his death, noting in particular the loss to his young daughter. Does anyone have information about Charles, his life in East St.