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Murder trial set for man charged in 2018 Catholic Supply store killing

Thomas Bruce's trial will begin on Aug. 2, 2021

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A trial date has been set for the man charged with sexually assaulting two women and killing another at a Catholic Supply store in St. Louis County in 2018.

Thomas Bruce's trial will begin on Aug. 2, 2021, according to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Bruce’s trial was originally scheduled for Oct. 13. Bruce requested the delay because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Bruce has been in jail for more than two years on charges of first-degree murder, three counts of sodomy, three counts of kidnapping, one count of burglary, one count of tampering with evidence and eight counts of armed criminal action. 

Investigators said he went into the Catholic Supply store in Ballwin on Nov. 19, 2018 and shot and killed Jamie Schmidt. Prosecutors said he shot her after she refused his sexual demands. He also sexually assaulted two other women inside the store, according to police. 

Schmidt was a beloved gifted artist. In 2019, her husband told 5 On Your Side she was making rosaries for the other women joining her on an upcoming church retreat. 

In a separate case, Bruce is also accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a Jefferson County home in September 2018. In September 2019, he entered a not guilty plea to the sexual assault charges. 

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