Daughter of West County Murder Victim a Parkway West Grad

Suzanne Gunter, who police said was murdered by her husband William Lynn Gunter Monday, was also an active volunteer with the school district.

The Town and Country family whose husband has been charged in connection with the death of his wife may be a familiar name to some Chesterfield residents.  An obituary at Legacy.com for Suzanne Gunter, who police said Wednesday was slain by her husband William Lynn Gunter, indicates she was an active volunteer in the Parkway School Distict. A district spokeswoman couldn't immediately identify where she volunteered, but said the couple's youngest daughter graduated from Parkway West High School in 2010. According to the St. Louis County Police department, which is now handling the investigation, Town and Country Police responded to the scene at 1515 Mason Hill Court Monday to an "accidental injury" call and found Suzanne Gunter laying in …

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UPDATED: Second Person Charged in Pizza Delivery Driver's Weekend Murder

A second person is in jail, charged in connection to the ambush, shooting and killing of a former Parkway South graduate from Ballwin.

St. Louis County police said Shermell Crockett, 20, is in custody at the St. Louis County Jail. He is charged with one count of second degree murder, one count of first degree robbery and two counts of armed criminal action. Crockett, of the 2100 block of Rosebud in Hillsdale, is currently being held on a $500,000 cash only bond. He is the second person to be charged in connection to the weekend murder of an Imo's Pizza delivery driver. Daniil Maksimenko, 22, of Ballwin was shot and killed early Saturday morning while delivering a pizza in Hillsdale around 12:45 a.m. Saturday. Maksimenko, who graduated from Parkway South High School in 2008, was confronted and shot multiple times, including in the head. (Read Previous Story: Parkway South …

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Police: Former Parkway Student Likely Did Not Shoot Herself

Autopsy results show Ainsley Freeman and her mother, Amy Freeman Burton, were shot in the head. Both previously attended the Parkway School District.

Police said former Parkway School District student, 13-year-old Ainsley Freeman most likely did not shoot herself. Initial autopsy results show that Ainsley and her mom, 37-year-old Amy Freeman Burton, each died from one gunshot to the head. Although the official report is not yet available, and results are not yet conclusive, "evidence does suggest that Ainsley did not likely shoot herself," Lt. Jeff Bretzing said in a press release. (Read Previous Story: UPDATE: Mother and 13-Year-Old Daughter Shot to Death Inside Home ) Both Freeman Burton and her daughter Ainsley were found shot to death in their San Francisco area home Monday. They had reportedly moved there from the St. Louis area in December. Parkway School District spokesperson …

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The Mom Memo

Learning after the Loss of Leiby Kletzky

The abduction and murder of Leiby Kletzky raised questions of balancing childhood independence with the need to protect our children.

As parents, we don’t need another reminder that the world isn’t safe. But to any parent who is still holding onto the belief that daylight hours and “safe” neighborhoods make any sort of difference in crime statistics, the abduction and murder of 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky served as yet another grim wake-up call. The murder shocked New York communities and the world. Beyond the shock, the fear, and the horror came the reverberating ramifications and the ever-burning question stuck on the tip of every parent’s tongue: “Is it ever safe to let a child walk alone?” Seven blocks stood between Leiby and his home. But he never made it. One wrong turn changed everything. The line between overprotection and allowing childhood independence is a gray …

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