Tyren Smith

Deandre Maurice Johnson is accused of shooting Tyren Smith, then burning Smith's body in an alley in the Kingsway East neighborhood of St. Louis. Johnson, 31, was charged Friday with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Johnson lives in the 11500 block of Criterion Avenue in unincorporated St. Louis County. Smith's charred remains were found the morning of April 7, 2021, in an alley in the 4700 block of Northland Avenue. Smith, 23, lived in the 2100 block of Bellevue Avenue in Maplewood. An obituary said Smith was the father of a daughter and five sons. St. Louis homicide investigated Smith's death. Last Thursday, a witness told police that Johnson had confessed to killing Smith. The St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office filed charges Friday, and a judge on Saturday ordered that he be held without bond. Court documents did not indicate a motive for the killing.