The murder of Antonio Duff, 24, of the 9000 block of Romona Ave. in Bel-Ridge, remains unsolved two years after he was gunned down on April 9, 2012.
On the anniversary of his death, family and friends once again gathered near the crime scene in the 4900 block of Warwick in north St. Louis for a candlelight vigil.
A red “R.I.P.” t-shirt with Duff’s image hung on a schoolyard fence next to a set of balloons, and yards away a yellow sign warned that the surrounding area was a drug-free and gun-free school zone. His mother, Carman Weber, plans to hold a vigil every year until her son’s killer is apprehended and brought to justice.
“This is for Antonio,” Weber told the crowd.
She then raised her voice, glancing across the street at a row of houses.
“And for these people to take their neighborhood back! Stop being scared and not telling what’s going on in their neighborhood,” she said.
At the time of the incident, several witnesses reported seeing a black male in his 20s standing outside Duff’s car talking to the victim. A few minutes later, according to witnesses, the suspect started shooting at Duff – striking him multiple times in the head and torso. At least 20 bullet casings were scattered on the pavement near Duff’s car. Duff was taken to an area hospital where he died from his injuries. The suspect was seen driving a mid-size gray car. Dwayne Jiles recalled the day his mother told him that his brother had been killed. The tone in his mother’s voice was “earth shattering,” he said.
“We went to go view the body and lifted the white curtain back,” he said. “My life ain’t been the same.”
Weber is a former Metro Transit employee, and requested that her regular bus route be changed. Her bus route was the #95 Kingshighway. Every day, she drove past the area where her son was killed, and said she could not stand it anymore.
“This guy can get on my bus at any time,” she said. “I don’t even know how he looks.”
She moved to Austin, TX.
Duff’s former girlfriend, Marie Wright, is wary of people, knowing that his killer is still out there.
“I look at everybody because you don’t know,” Wright said. “He had a lot to live for. The person who did that must not have had something to live for.”
She said Antonio was a problem-solver, a go-getter, and a hard-worker who was loved by many. Weber and Wright tacked several St. Louis Regional CrimeStoppers bulletins to light poles before the vigil, soliciting new tips in the case and a reward up to $1,000.
“It’s so many murders and shootings going on in St. Louis right now,” Weber said. “They take precedence over a two-year-old case.”
The next day, Weber met with Homicide Detective Daniel Fox with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department for an update on the case.
“He gone get caught,” Weber told the small crowd at the vigil. “It’s just a matter of time.”
The Homicide Unit has placed a wanted for a suspect in connection with Duff’s homicide. The investigation is ongoing.
St. Louis Regional CrimeStoppers Tip Hotline: 866-371-TIPS (8477).
Follow this reporter on Twitter: @BridjesONeil
