ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A man is facing multiple charges, including second-degree murder, after investigators with the Major Case Squad said he robbed and killed a man in north St. Louis County.
David Smith, 47, was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary in connection with the death of Hossein Cyrus Rastegar.
According to charging documents, police arrived at a home on Midland Boulevard in Overland at around 10:30 Tuesday night to conduct a welfare check. When they arrived, they found the victim with his hands and feet tied behind his back by a vacuum cord that was also wrapped around the victim's neck.
Investigators said they found surveillance video of the victim's house, and saw a man in a black jacket and camouflage pants behind the home at around 10:45 that morning. After sharing the footage with area law enforcement officials, one of them recognized the man as David "Little Dave" Smith.
A witness who knew Smith told police Smith arrived at his house some time between noon and 1 p.m. with "visible signs of having been in an altercation." The witness said he let Smith change out of a black jacket and camouflage pants on his back porch.
The witness also told investigators Smith was living at a Super 8 motel, which is where police tracked him down and took him into custody.
During the investigation, investigators discovered that the victim had called police a few weeks earlier about a burglary. The victim reported that someone had taken some money from a manila envelope, but left much of the "large amount" of cash behind.
When police arrested Smith, he had $1,000 on him. When they searched the room, police found another $13,000 in cash as well as a black jacket and camouflage pants that matched those seen in the surveillance video.
Smith is being held on a $1 million, cash-only bond.
