Fourth teen charged in hammer killing of Bosnian man in St. Louis
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
By Joel Currier | September 29, 2015ST. LOUIS • The last of four teenagers who police say attacked and killed a Bosnian immigrant with hammers last year was charged as an adult Tuesday in the crime.
Travis D. Kidd, 17, of the 4200 block of Gannett Street in the city's Bevo Mill neighborhood, was certified as an adult and charged Tuesday with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Kidd was 16 years old at the time Zemir Begic, 32, was attacked and killed.
Police said Begic was in his vehicle about 1:15 a.m. Nov. 30 in the 4200 block of Itaska when several juveniles approached and began damaging his car. Police said Begic got out to confront the juveniles, who began yelling at him and hitting him with hammers.
Court records say Kidd jumped on the back of Begic's car and then struck Begic in the head with a hammer. Charges say Kidd and the three other teens continued beating Begic after he was on the ground.
Begic, who lived in the 4200 block of Miami Street, suffered injuries to his head, abdomen, face and mouth. He died at St. Louis University Hospital.
A motive in the case isn't clear. Begic was killed amid elevated racial tension in the St. Louis area about a week after a grand jury decided not to indict a white Ferguson police officer for fatally shooting a unarmed black teenager. Some claimed that Begic was attacked because he was Bosnian; the suspects are white, black and Hispanic, according to authorities. Police said the investigation has not revealed a racial motive.
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Juan Carlos Fabian-Lutz, Darrian Johner, both 16 at the time and from St. Louis, were previously charged in the fatal beating. Robert Mitchell, then 17, turned himself in to police less than 24 hours after the incident. All have been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
More at link: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/article_9a48b429-f7cc-5c9e-b99e-56ffdddace55.html