Michelle Hampton Case: Kidnapping, Charges, and Death Penalty

The Michelle Hampton case involves the November 20, 2024, kidnapping and murder of a 37-year-old Clayton, Missouri, woman who was abducted from her apartment, forced to withdraw money from her bank accounts, and then shot to death in a St. Louis alley. Two men, Anjuan Q. Mosby and Emmanuel Suarez, were arrested within days, and in June 2026 federal prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty against both.¹

What Happened on November 20, 2024

Early that morning, an armed suspect abducted Hampton from her apartment on Whitburn Drive in Clayton, a St. Louis suburb. According to court filings, Mosby forced Hampton to drive her own vehicle while Suarez followed in a stolen Ram pickup.² Hampton’s twin sister, Samantha, witnessed the abduction and tried to follow in her own car with her two children inside. Mosby allegedly fired shots at Samantha’s vehicle, shattering the driver’s-side window.³

Police said the suspects took Hampton to at least three banks in a yellow truck and forced her to withdraw cash. Surveillance footage from one bank showed her seated in the rear driver-side seat during a transaction. She was then driven to an alley in the 4700 block of Greer Avenue in the Kingsway East neighborhood of St. Louis and shot multiple times. Officers responded around 11:00 a.m. and emergency personnel pronounced her dead at the scene.⁴

Why She Was Targeted

Federal court documents describe a specific financial motive. Hampton had been holding a $40,000 settlement on behalf of her brother. Mosby was dating Samantha, Hampton’s twin sister, and Samantha had told him about the money.⁵ Prosecutors allege that inside knowledge of Hampton’s finances led directly to the kidnapping plot.⁶

Arrests and Evidence

Mosby, 43, of St. Louis, was arrested the weekend of November 23–24, 2024, and federal charges for kidnapping resulting in death were filed against him on November 23.²

Suarez, 36, was arrested on the afternoon of November 25, 2024, after officers used spike strips to disable his vehicle. A search of the car recovered a .45-caliber Glock handgun and suspected narcotics. Investigators had also located the yellow truck used during the crime at an abandoned residence, and a coat found in a nearby dumpster carried DNA matching Suarez, tying him to clothing worn by one of the suspects captured on surveillance.⁷

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Division led the investigation with assistance from the Clayton Police Department, which had jurisdiction over the abduction site.⁴

The Charges

Both defendants face overlapping federal and state cases. In December 2024, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Missouri indicted both men on one count of kidnapping and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The federal kidnapping charge carries a potential penalty of life in prison or death.³

In St. Louis County, Suarez was charged with first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree robbery, first-degree attempted robbery, kidnapping, unlawful possession of a firearm, and five counts of armed criminal action. Mosby was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, two counts of first-degree robbery, first-degree attempted robbery, first-degree kidnapping, eight counts of armed criminal action, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and additional firearm counts.³ The child endangerment counts stem from Mosby’s alleged decision to fire at Samantha Hampton’s car with her two children inside.

Why Prosecutors Are Seeking the Death Penalty

On June 3, 2026, federal prosecutors filed notice in the Eastern District of Missouri that they would seek the death penalty against Mosby and Suarez. The filing cited two grounds: that the murder was premeditated, and that both defendants had previous federal drug convictions.¹ Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Walker is prosecuting the case.²

The decision came after a policy shift at the Department of Justice. In April 2026, the DOJ under the Trump administration formally reversed the Biden-era moratorium on federal executions and announced steps to streamline the process for seeking death sentences, reporting it had authorized the death penalty against 44 defendants as of that time.⁸

Where the Case Stands

Both defendants have been held in custody since their arrests. The federal case was designated complex in December 2024, and the docket through 2025 and into 2026 reflects status conferences to manage discovery and pretrial motions.⁹ As of early June 2026, both men were scheduled for a status hearing later that month, and no trial date had been set.¹

Who Michelle Hampton Was

Michelle Hampton was born on March 17, 1987, to Linda and Tony Hampton Sr. She grew up with her twin sister Samantha, her sister Tamara Abdelaal, and brothers Michael Potter and Tony Hampton Jr. She built her career at Beaver Industrial Supply, rising from a customer service and sales role to manager and eventually Vice President of Administration and Operations.¹⁰

She was mother to a teenage daughter, Destiny Smith, and adoptive mother to three of her nephews, including two 15-year-olds and a 7-year-old.¹¹

Her family has publicly criticized the initial law enforcement response. They said Samantha reported the kidnapping to police at roughly 7:15 a.m. on November 20 but that officers classified it as a road rage incident, and that police did not release information to the public until about 2:00 p.m., three hours after the homicide was reported.¹¹

1
FOX 2 Now. Death Penalty Sought for Duo in Kidnapping, Murder of Clayton Woman
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U.S. Department of Justice. Two Men Accused of Role in Fatal Kidnapping
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First Alert 4. Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty for Duo Charged With Kidnapping, Murder of Clayton Woman
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St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Woman Killed After Kidnapping in Clayton
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FOX 2 Now. Suspect in Clayton Woman’s Abduction, Murder Set to Appear in Court
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Audacy KMOX. 2nd Man Charged in Clayton Kidnapping Murder Case
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Spectrum News. Second Man Charged in Kidnapping, Killing of Clayton Woman
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U.S. Department of Justice. Justice Department Takes Actions to Strengthen Federal Death Penalty
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CourtListener. United States v. Mosby
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Newcomer St. Louis. Michelle Hampton Obituary
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GoFundMe. Justice for Michelle Hampton: Support Her Family