Editor’s Note: This story contains discussions of child abuse that may be disturbing. Reader discretion is advised. If you suspect a child is being abused, find out how to report it in your state here. To connect with a counselor, you can call the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4253.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A child sex crimes case has seemingly led to a pair of mysterious murders.
St. Louis County prosecutors say a key witness, who was the father of the sex crime victim, was offered hush money to not press charges. His refusal reportedly led to his murder and the death of his killer.
The man killed was a witness in the case against Lavor Harmon. Harmon, 39, faces three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy and one count of second-degree statutory rape. He was charged in June.
Prosecutors allege his sister, Lavonda Harmon, showed up at the father’s doorstep with a mystery man and a handful of $12,000 in cash. The father reportedly refused the cash.
Court records say the father was fatally shot on July 8 at his home on Bayview Drive in Ferguson. Those records indicate a minor child was present when the man was shot to death.
Police said a white Kia was spotted driving away from that scene. Later that same day, the suspected male shooter was found executed in St. Louis, according to investigators. The getaway vehicle was located nearby – torched.
On Tuesday, the sex crimes defendant’s house on Meadowcrest Drive appeared to be empty. The street was quiet. The defendant’s sister, who’s accused of tampering, has an address listed in Texas.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and Ferguson Police Department were unavailable to talk, but the North County Police Cooperative’s Sgt. Ben Santoyo weighed in on tampering cases in general.
“It’s coming back for you,” he said. “It will backfire.”
Santoyo described a separate tampering case investigation in 2021.
“We were alerted very hastily and within 24 hours, we had obtained at large warrants and affected an arrest against that individual for additional charges,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lavonda Harmon is already out of jail after paying a full $100,000 cash-only bond. Her brother, Lavor Harmon, jailed on a newly-increased $2 million cash-only bond.
