ST. LOUIS — It's often seen as a crime of passion, stabbing someone at arm's length repeatedly in the head. This case, however, is different. Police said Cameka Cathey, who just moved to St. Louis from Memphis did not know her victim.
And based on her lengthy criminal history, one of her victim's thinks she should have been in jail, and not on the streets.
"It's a tragedy for the family, because the family is the one that's suffering right now," said Marvin Johnson, the owner of Mr. J's Auto Repair Center. "I'm not sure how she got out that quick that's the whole thing."
Johnson's shop in Breckenridge Hills. He said days before the deadly stabbing, Cathey broke into his store, swiped a pair of keys and got away with one of his cars.
"Anybody can break into someplace or whatever and get out the next day, I don't see how that works," said Johnson.
5 On Your Side found that Cathy's criminal history started long before she got to St. Louis.
It starts in August of 2003 and is mostly filled with non-violent violations like driving with a revoked license or failing to appear in court.
"If it's a nonviolent crime, the prosecutors don't want it to tie up time doing urgent warrant applications," said Breckenridge detective sergeant Mitch Aimer.
But there are some more serious charges.
Like in June 2013 when Cathey grabbed a sheriff's arm, scratched him and stated she was "HIV positive too.”
Or when, in that same month, she threatened a clerk at a Family Dollar in Memphis with a 12'' long butcher knife.
Even with a rap sheet as long as hers, detective Aimer said keeping her in jail is not so simple.
"For the crimes she committed, if everybody was held for every crime that they commit, jails would be over populated, and people would be held needlessly," said detective Aimer.
Police said the woman only said “OK” when they told her the victim died.
That of course changed when she was charged with the deadly stabbing of Marybeth Gaeng. Now she's locked up in the St. Louis County Jail without bond.
