Lorenzo Thomas

City prosecutors charged a Bellefontaine Neighbors man Tuesday with beating a man to death outside of a north St. Louis convenience store last year. Richard E. Sanders Jr., 26, was charged with second-degree murder after police say he punched 63-year-old Lorezno Thomas in the head multiple times on July 19, 2023, outside of a convenience store at North Euclid Avenue and Hammett Place. Surveillance video showed Sanders waving a gun at Thomas outside the store at around 1:30 p.m., according to court documents. Thomas called the police, and Sanders confronted him, court documents say. Sanders followed Thomas as he walked toward his car, and multiple people tried to pull Sanders away. Eventually, Sanders punched Thomas multiple times. Thomas fell to the ground, not moving, charging documents said. Thomas was taken to a hospital where he was placed on life support. He died in February, police said. Sanders is being held in the St. Louis jail without bond. He does not yet have an attorney listed in court documents.