A prominent St. Louis business owner is among a group of alleged kidnappers that could face life in prison after they were accused of kidnapping then torturing a Maplewood man for 48 hours. They are now facing federal kidnapping and weapons charges.
US Attorney Richard Callahan said this is the worst kidnapping case he has ever seen, in which the victim made it out alive.
“If you were going to do a movie about a kidnapping, this is the type of script you would like to have for your movie," he said. "You’re basically talking about 48 hours of hell for the victim.”
Callahan said it began the Monday before Thanksgiving, in Maplewood. According to court documents, when the victim got home from work, brothers Blake and Caleb Laubinger were waiting for him. They tied him up and took him to Blake Laubinger’s home on Cypress Drive in Pacific, Missouri.
The men held the victim in the basement, tortured him and threatened to kill him. That was when Todd Beckman, Kerry Roades and later, Zachary Smith, arrived. The five men accused him of stealing, and owing them money. They called the victim’s parents in Florida, demanding a ransom. Callahan says the victim’s mother could hear her son screaming in the background.
A day later, the men took the victim to Todd Beckman’s property on Gregory Lane in Fenton, where they held him in a shipping container, court documents allege. The torture continued.
He was finally released on Nov. 23, when his mother traveled from Florida to pay a $27,000 ransom.
In Pacific, a shocked neighbor saw Laubinger after the kidnapping, and said everything seemed normal until authorities hauled him away.
“I woke up one day and noticed they had the whole street shut down, the police and Franklin County Sheriff," Sam Hartmann said. "It was strange, it’s not something you think you’re going to hear about every day, somebody kidnapping someone and beating them in their house.”
All five suspects are now in custody. Callahan says the suspects and the victim knew each other. Beckman’s companies, which include TanCo and Massage Luxe, have not returned a request for comment.
