ST. LOUIS, Mo. – A suspect serving a life sentence in Illinois for the murder of a woman has been charged in the death of a man in St. Louis more than four years after the crime took place. Timothy B. Stokes, 55, has been charged with first-degree murder in the June 30, 2019, death of Brian Culton at his home in the Patch neighborhood.
According to the St. Louis Police probable cause statement, officers found Culton lying dead in his home with multiple gunshot wounds. A witness at the scene reported seeing a woman, described as the victim’s “ex-girlfriend,” enter the house with an unidentified man. Just hours after the fatal shooting of Culton, Stokes murdered a woman in East St. Louis. He was serving a life sentence for her murder at the time he was charged for Culton’s death.
During questioning, Stokes admitted to both murders, stating that he went to Culton’s house to rob him, and when the victim refused to hand over his money, he shot him. Stokes also confessed to killing the woman after an argument over the robbery of Culton. Culton was a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces and well-known to his neighbors, who described him as a kind and generous person.
Stokes was located and taken into custody by ISP troopers after firing shots at them when they tried to make contact. He was tracked to an abandoned residence, where a handgun linked to both homicides was found. The death of Culton at his home and the subsequent arrest of Stokes has brought a sense of closure to the community more than four years after the tragic incident.