ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis man is facing multiple felony charges after police said he fatally beat a man who he accused of stealing money while staying in his home.
Colin Walker, 32, was charged Thursday with one count each of first-degree murder and third-degree assault and two counts of armed criminal action for the Jan. 28 beating death of 51-year-old Micah Koster.
Editor's note: The above-related video was originally broadcast on Jan. 28.
At about 7:30 a.m. that Sunday, Koster was found unresponsive and bleeding in the backyard of a home on the 4700 block of Lexington Avenue in the Kingsway East neighborhood in north St. Louis. He was pronounced dead at a St. Louis hospital, and it was determined he had suffered a traumatic brain injury and cardiac arrest.
According to the probable cause statement from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, a neighbor told police they arrived home and found a trail of blood that led from the porch to the backyard of Walker's home.
A second neighbor who lives across the alleyway told police earlier that morning, barking dogs woke them and when they looked out back, they saw Walker "beating an individual on his porch with some blunt object," according to the probable cause statement.
That neighbor said he recalled Walker saying, "You are going to steal my money while I let you stay in my house." They also said they saw Walker's wife outside on the porch during the incident and believed she handed the weapon to Walker to beat Koster.
When police arrested Walker, he initially claimed he didn't know Koster, but he later admitted he knew him and said he's allowed Koster to occasionally stay in his home. He also told police that Koster had not stayed with him the night before the incident.
Koster's parents, who live in Arizona, told 5 On Your Side, "Micah was a kind-hearted man who loved animals and enjoyed being an auto mechanic for many years," adding, “We learned of his murder today and we are in a state of shock.”
Della Koster, Micah's mother, spoke with 5 On Your Side’s Robert Townsend by telephone shortly after hearing about her son’s death.
“My son and a police detective both called me. Honestly, I’ve been crying a lot, shaking and vomiting. When I’m not breaking down ... my husband is. I’m able to talk to you at this minute, but 15 minutes ago I couldn’t. I don’t know how to describe how I feel right now,” Della said.
“I don’t know what that situation was aabout in that backyard, but I don’t believe my son was a thief. As far as justice for Micah, I want to see Colin locked up so that he can’t hurt anybody else,” Della said.
Koster was one of several people who were killed during a violent weekend in St. Louis.
Walker is currently held without bond at the St. Louis City Justice Center.
