St. Louis County Police Tackle Cold Case Files

[thedrifter]

St. Louis County Police Tackle Cold Case Files
Posted: January 3rd, 2006 11:00 AM EDT
HEATHER RATCLIFFE
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Family of man killed in June hopes for answers.

Warwick Perkins left behind two lives the day someone riddled his body with bullets and dumped him on a street in Hillsdale.

Perkins, a Marine Corps reservist from St. Louis, harbored secrets to build a buffer between his two worlds. Each revolved around a different woman -- one his past and the other his future, his family said.

Since his death June 14, that buffer has collapsed, leaving mysteries about how he lived and why he died.

"A lot of things about my husband I'm just now finding out," said Shelly Perkins, who married Warwick 14 years ago.

As relatives and friends struggle to put together the pieces, they have polarized into two camps, each blaming the other. Police have plenty of rumors and innuendoes, but few real clues.

It was another unsolved murder for the desk of Detective Leon Stone. Perkins' case resembled plenty of others waiting for a break at the St. Louis County Police Department -- a man who made some bad decisions was found dead on the rough side of town.

Stone said he soon discovered that something set this one apart -- relatives who won't let Perkins' death go without answers. His brother and mother have called nearly every week since the killing. "Nobody likes an open case," Stone said. "But I just don't have anything to tell them when they call."

Life was about to change for Perkins before he died, said his older brother, Greg Smiley, 37, of St. Louis.

For nearly two years, Perkins, 36, had been juggling a marriage and a new relationship, Smiley said. Perkins was excited about finalizing a divorce and marrying the woman pregnant with his child, Smiley explained.

"He was finally letting go and moving on," Smiley said. "He was happy again, like the brother I remember."

Perkins graduated from Parkway Central High School. He gave college a try on a football scholarship, but returned when their father, Wash Perkins, died unexpectedly.

In 1989, Perkins joined the Marine Corps. The Marines taught Perkins about humility and responsibility, his family said. "It helped him mature a lot," Smiley said. "He learned to listen to people more."

After boot camp, Perkins visited home for a few weeks before leaving for duty in North Carolina. While on leave, his brother introduced him to a girl named Shelly.

The two were married within the year, and Shelly moved to North Carolina with her 4-year-old son, Shannon. The couple had a son, Warwick Jr.

Four years later, the family returned to St. Louis. Perkins got a job with the U.S. Postal Service in Hazelwood, driving a forklift. They bought a home in Velda City.

After a few years, family members noticed that problems in the marriage were growing. Arguments escalated to fights. Police were called more than once. Smiley said Perkins wanted out of the marriage, but a divorce got bogged down in legalities.

So Perkins began separating himself from his wife. He rarely went to their house -- only to pay bills, get clothes or cut the grass, Smiley said. He mostly stayed with family or friends.

About two years ago, while at a friend's house, Perkins noticed a woman walking down the street. Her name was LaDonna Austin. The two began talking, and soon got much closer.

Austin, 21, said Perkins was respectful and caring. He looked after her infant son as if he were his own. He bought her gifts and helped her mother move when a water pipe broke in their home.

"He was goofy," Austin said. "Just a good person. He treated me like a queen."

Months passed before Austin discovered that Perkins was married. She never suspected that he had another family. "He spent all his time with me."

Austin said she had stayed with Perkins because his commitment to her never waned. He promised a divorce and a new life.

Early last year, the two learned they were expecting a child. Perkins was ecstatic, Austin said, when they discovered it would be a girl. He suggested the name Kasse Lorrell Perkins.

Shelly Perkins, 38, said she knew her husband was spending his time with another woman. She said she didn't know how involved they were.

"I was stupid. I just didn't want to lose my husband," she said.

The day Warwick Perkins disappeared, his wife told police that she last saw him napping on their couch at home. He was gone when she and her son got home that evening.

Co-workers said he didn't show up for work that night.

The next morning, a passer-by found Perkins lying in the 2100 block of Overlea Avenue. He had been shot in the head and torso several times.

Police searched Perkins' home and his car. They didn't find anything significant, Stone said. But they wondered about the significance of what they didn't find: the half dozen guns that relatives said he kept at this house.

Perkins' two lives met face to face at his funeral. Each woman kissed his face as she walked past the casket. And each openly wonders if the other knows something that might explain the death.

Shelly Perkins says she believes Warwick Perkins may have gotten involved with some bad people. "I don't know what my husband did when he left this home," she said.

Austin said that whatever happened, the man she loved had faced turmoil at home with his wife. "She couldn't accept that we were together."

Smiley, Perkins' brother, says, "I just want to know what happened. That's the only way I'll be all right. I can't move on until I know the truth."

Ellie

[greensideout]

Time will tell.