ST. LOUIS — A woman was kidnapped, thrown in a trunk and then left for dead in St. Louis back in May, according to court records obtained by 5 On Your Side Thursday.
Lynette Lecates, of downtown St. Louis, later died from her injuries.
Charging documents were just filed against a second suspect in the case, 33-year-old Darris Williams.
St. Louis police believe Williams was in Anthony Newberry’s car when the crimes took place. The two are accused of assaulting Lecates and putting her in the back of Newberry’s vehicle and then driving her from location to location. At each stop, police said they took her out of the trunk and assaulted her again – all to get her debit card and PIN so they could get access to her bank account.
Ultimately, police said Williams and Newberry took Lecates out of the trunk, beat her, took her personal items and left her for dead. On May 23, a passerby found her on some railroad tracks in the 3800 block of Walsh Street in south city. She was alive but critically injured with face and head trauma, rib fractures and a collarbone fracture.
Police said the suspects also tore out a dialysis port from her chest.
Lecates died from her injuries more than two weeks later. She was 41 years old.
The investigation into Lecate’s death took a turn after Newberry’s car was involved in a crash. Police said blood was found in his trunk. Detectives then spoke with a witness who they said gave them information about what happened and identified Newberry and Williams as suspects in the case.
Williams and Newberry are each charged with first-degree murder, robbery and kidnapping. They’re being held without bond.
