Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

St. Louis, MO – Two separate indictments were returned today by the federal grand jury related to homicides occurring in the City of Saint Louis.

The first indictment deals with a much older case and charges Walter Wallace, Jr., 27, and Jerry B. Chambers, 36, for their involvement in the December 18, 2010, murder of Michael Hayes. Mr. Hayes was found shot inside his residence located in the 4500 block of Alice Avenue in the City of Saint Louis. Each defendant has been charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute marijuana and charged with the possession and use of a firearm in furtherance of their drug trafficking which resulted in the murder of Michael Hayes.

The second indictment deals with shootings occurring this past spring and charges Jacobi Temple, 23, Demante Syms, 23, and Samuel Spires, 23, for their respective roles in the March 27, 2015, murders of James Lacey, Paige Schaefer, and Tammie Thurmond. Mr. Lacey and Ms. Schaefer were shot and killed inside a residence located in the 4400 block of Itaska in the City of Saint Louis. Ms. Thurmond was found by police in an alley behind the 4200 block of South 37th Street and died a short time later. Each of the three victims had been shot with the same weapon. In this second indictment, all three men have been charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin; conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking; and with the possession and use of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking which resulted in the murder of Tammie Thurmond.

Jacobi Temple has been additionally charged with the possession and use of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking which resulted in the murders of Mr. Lacey and Ms. Schaefer. As is always the case, charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, these various charges carry penalties that include possible life sentences of imprisonment.

United States Attorney Richard Callahan noted that these two indictments represent an on-going coordinated effort between his Office, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office, and the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department, to address the rising homicide rate in the City of St. Louis. He also acknowledged federal law enforcement agencies’ broader contributions in responding to the rising the violent crime rates and singled out the work of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in these two particular investigations.

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