ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The man charged with the murder of Jacquelyn "Jacque" Elizabeth Mitchell is facing new charges after police said two women accused him of rape.
Joseph Dejoie, 49, was charged in March with second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and abandonment of a corpse. Last month, his $1 million bond was ordered to remain in place, and he remained in custody.
Additional charges including one count of first-degree rape or attempted rape and first-degree sodomy or attempted sodomy were added against Dejoie.
According to the Maryland Heights Police Department, Dejoie murdered Mitchell in his apartment in the 2200 block of Palestra Drive in Maryland Heights between March 15 and March 20. He then wiped down Mitchel's body and car to conceal evidence.
According to charging documents, two new victims have come forward against Dejoie. The victims told police one incident took place on May 8, 2022, and the second on March 11, 2023, just four days before Mitchell went missing.
According to the charging documents, one of the victims was "incapacitated or lacked the capacity to consent" and Dejoie used "forcible compulsion" on the other.
He was charged with one count of each first-degree rape or attempted rape, first-degree kidnapping and third-degree assault in the May 8, 2022 case.
In the March 11 incident, he was charged with one count of each first-degree sodomy, first-degree kidnapping and tampering with a witness.
Mitchell had been missing after she left work in Sunset Hills and went to the nearby Maggie O'Brien's Maryland Heights Police Chief Bill Carson said surveillance showed Mitchell leaving alone and entering her car.
Carson said investigators were provided video of a man driving Mitchell’s car. After identifying him and obtaining a search warrant for his apartment, investigators found Mitchell’s body inside.
According to charging documents, police asked Dejoie if he was responsible for her death, and he said he was. He told police he wiped down Mitchell's body and car after she died in an attempt to conceal evidence.
The 49-year-old will remain in pre-trial detention with a $1 million bond after the court sided with the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney's office which opposed the defense's motion to reduce the bond.
"Our office believes he is a threat to the community and as such we asked the judge to keep the high bond that was initially set," said St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell. "This routine proceeding today is an example of how our office and this court routinely protect the public."
Mitchell's sister provided a statement to 5 On Your Side regarding the new charges:
"I hope that it comes to light what a horrible and dangerous person this man is. At this time all we can hope for is justice in the end. My sister and other victims did not deserve this. We need Justice in Jacque’s name. I want her to know we will never give up.”