Tammie Thurmond

In the spring of 2015, a series of violent events unfolded in St. Louis, Missouri, culminating in the tragic death of 54-year-old Tammie Thurmond. A white female, Thurmond found herself entangled in a situation that would ultimately cost her her life, a consequence of a dispute over a drug debt. The ordeal began when Jacobi Temple, accompanied by Demante Syms and Samuel Spires, went to a residence on Itaska Street to collect money for heroin he had supplied. It was Thurmond who had provided Temple with the location of her daughter, 23-year-old Paige Schaefer.

Inside the Itaska Street home, the situation escalated dramatically. In his pursuit of the unpaid debt, Temple shot and killed both Schaefer and 47-year-old James Lacey. A third individual, Brittney Brown, was also shot in the head but miraculously survived and was able to call for help. Shortly after the initial shootings, Temple, Syms, and Spires located Tammie Thurmond. Temple then took Thurmond to an alley on South 37th Street where he shot and killed her. Her body was discovered there, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head.

The ensuing investigation led to the indictment of Jacobi Temple, Demante Syms, and Samuel Spires for their roles in the three murders. In March 2018, Jacobi Temple pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and two counts of discharging a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking resulting in death. He was subsequently sentenced to 50 years in prison. Demante Syms was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in the murders and for witness tampering. Samuel Spires, the third co-defendant, received a 20-year prison sentence for his part in the crimes. The convictions brought a close to the legal proceedings surrounding the violent deaths of Tammie Thurmond, Paige Schaefer, and James Lacey.