ST. LOUIS – A man who is suspected of being a serial killer was charged in a seventh murder after witnesses recognized a distinct crescent moon tattoo on his forehead, officials said.
Perez Deshay Reed, 26, is now facing charges in seven homicides when he was slapped with the additional count of first-degree murder as well as supplemental charges on Friday, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced.
Stephon D. Johnson was shot and killed in November 2021. His body was found stuffed in a closet at his apartment in midtown Kansas City, Mo. Investigators discovered he had been shot in the back of the head.
Johnson’s body was discovered after his family reported him missing. Now Reed is charged with the murder, the New York Post reported.
Witnesses said they saw the “serial killer” on TV from St. Louis with the same crescent tattoo on his forehead. Investigators said they identified him as the same man who had been a guest at Johnson’s residence.
Authorities took Reed into custody in nearby Independence on warrants from St. Louis County. When making the arrest investigators found a key on him that fit a deadbolt lock at Johnson’s apartment. Moreover, DNA evidence obtained from a cigarillo box also tied Reed to the murder.
Furthermore, in what appears to be the most condemning evidence, detectives said the fatal round fired inside Johnson’s head matched ballistics from the gun carried by Reed at the time of his arrest.
The accused serial killed is being held without bond in St. Louis.
The New York Post reported that Reed’s killing spree occurred between September and November in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas. The victims ranged in age from 16 to 49. Most of his victims were women — some of whom were sex workers, officials said.
Reed was previously charged with the following homicides in St. Louis County, Missouri:
- Marnay Haynes, 16 – Sept. 13, 2021
- Pamela Abercrombie, 49 – Sept. 16, 2021
- Carey Ross, 24 – Sept. 19, 2021
- Lester Robinson, 40 – Sept. 26, 2021
Reed was previously charged with the following homicides In Wyandotte County, Kansas:
- Damon Washington Irvin – October 2021
- Rau’daja De’Naya Farrow – October 2021
The victims in St. Louis County were all shot in the head. The bodies of the Wyandotte County victims were found in separate apartments in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, according to authorities.
A team of FBI agents had been trailing Reed when he was arrested after getting off a bus in Independence, Missouri.
