Fannie Allred

Just before Christmas, Fannie Allred, 81, was in good spirits, a family member said. After undergoing treatment earlier this year, the 81-year-old matriarch had recently learned she was cancer free and was excited to once again host Sunday family dinners and holiday celebrations. “She was refreshed,” Marvin Allred said. “She was just so excited to not have the burden of cancer lingering over her.” Hours later, on Sunday morning, Fannie was found stabbed to death in her home in the 8500 block of Jenny Drive. Ronald Allred III was arrested the same day, after an hours-long standoff with police. He's been charged with her murder. Fannie was born and raised in Mississippi, but moved to St. Louis as a young adult. She was born with a hearing impairment, but was incredible at reading lips, her son said. A devout churchgoer, she and her husband, who died in 2019, raised four sons and one daughter. They lived in north St. Louis from 1985 to 1996 before moving to north St. Louis County. In October 2008, when one of Fannie’s sons was killed in a shooting, Marvin said the matriarch really became the glue that kept her family close. After church on Sundays, she would prepare a home-cooked dinner — filled with comfort foods like fried chicken, greens and sweet potatoes — for her children and grandchildren. "Her sweet potatoes were to die for," Marvin said. "Her sweet potato pie was my favorite. Every holiday, my mom always made sure she made me at least one or two sweet potato pies." Fannie was also known for always helping people. "When people went through things, she always had an open-door policy," Marvin said. "You know, whether you needed some clothes, whether you needed a couch to crash on for a day or two. She was just always a giving person." Marvin said he went through his own struggles and, while serving a short prison sentence, Fannie took care of his young daughter. When it came to Ronald's struggles with addiction, Marvin said it hurt his mom to see her grandson suffer. She tried to help him, even when that was difficult. “Even though she told us that she didn't want him there, she still let him in (her house)," Marvin said. "She opened her heart and her door to let him in, and he took her life. You know, that's how this happened.”