ST. LOUIS — Prosecutors revealed for the first time Wednesday in court what drew Thomas Kinworthy to the St. Louis area on the day he allegedly barricaded himself inside a stranger’s home and shot and killed St. Louis police officer Tamarris Bohannon.
Sgt. Brian Hayes testified that he served as the negotiator on Aug. 29, 2020 after Kinworthy forced his way inside a home in the Tower Grove South neighborhood with a gun and ordered the residents to leave.
Opening statements in the case began Monday, and defense attorneys are asking jurors to find Kinworthy not guilty by reason of mental defect.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 'We admit it' | Defense attorneys say Thomas Kinworthy killed a St. Louis police officer but shouldn't go to prison for it
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore’s Office is seeking convictions on multiple charges including first-degree murder.
Hayes told jurors he spoke to Kinworthy’s ex-wife, Amy, after Bohannon was shot in the head – a wound he died from the next day.
Prosecutors say Kinworthy shot another officer in the leg who responded to the scene as well as shot a homeless man in the alley before barricading himself in the home.
Hayes told jurors Kinworthy’s ex-wife told him to stay away from any discussions with Kinworthy about his father, who he had visited in St. Louis before the shooting. She also told him he was not on speaking terms with his mother.
In opening statements, Kinworthy’s public defenders said two experts diagnosed him with schizoaffective disorder, which can cause extreme mood swings as well as hallucinations. They said he developed the disorder after suffering years of “every kind of abuse,” from both of his parents as a child.
Kinworthy’s ex-wife also told Hayes her ex-husband enjoyed fishing and praying with his daughter.
“She said he didn’t like people pressuring him and if you did pressure him, he would do the opposite,” Hayes said.
“She didn’t say anything about mental illness on the phone?” Assistant Circuit Attorney Mary Pat Carl asked him.
“No,” Hayes said.
“She never said, ‘Please be careful with him, he doesn’t know what he’s doing right now?’” Carl asked.
The defense objected.
“She doesn’t tell you she’s been on Facetime with him?” Carl asked Hayes.
“No,” Hayes said.
Defense attorneys said in opening statements Kinworthy called his ex-wife once before the shooting and once after the shooting on Facetime, and she said he was not in his right mind and convinced people were trying to get him.
One of Kinworthy’s public defenders, Brian Horneyer then asked Hayes if he ever asked Amy whether Kinworthy had a history of mental illness after he said asking about mental illness is a question he is trained to ask.
He admitted he never asked Amy about it.
“Not with her because it didn’t sound like she wanted anything to do with us,” Hayes said.
Carl then noted Hayes decided not to question her any further about him after she told him Kinworthy had previously committed a crime against her.
“At that point, she was a victim in my eyes,” Hayes said.
The trial is scheduled to last until May 3, but prosecutors announced Tuesday they were running about a half-day ahead of schedule.
Testimony Wednesday continued with additional statements from the officers who responded to the scene that day, including an officer who recalled deploying the most amount of chemical munitions into the home he had ever used. He said it would irritate the eyes and skin.
Kinworthy still did not come out of the house, and was later arrested by officers who stormed into the bathroom and found him with cuts on his arms.
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