A Missouri man allegedly turned to Google for legal advice just moments after brutally killing of his child’s mother.
Karl Mayberry, aged 34, stands accused of killing his partner, 31-year-old Alvatyne Thomas, in December 2021. After the incident, he reportedly searched the internet for terms like ‘first-degree murder defenses’ and ‘can he say she say be used against a person for murder in Missouri,’ as detailed in an affidavit.
Following the investigation, Mayberry, who had a child with Thomas, was arrested on Wednesday and now faces charges of first-degree murder related to the 2021 incident.
Thomas, who was the mother of Mayberry’s child, was discovered deceased on December 27, 2021. St. Louis Metropolitan police found her during a welfare check at her apartment on Oregon Avenue in St. Louis.
Upon arriving at the scene, police said they entered the home when they saw Thomas, already deceased with ‘a plastic bag taped around her head.’
‘She had been shot in the back and had extreme swelling to her forehead, a severed ear and apparent defensive wounds on her hands,’ the affidavit states.
‘She appeared to have had bleach poured over her body as well.’
Karl Mayberry, 34, is accused of murdering his partner, Alvatyne Thomas (pictured), 31, in December 2021, then searching online for ‘first-degree murder defenses’ and ‘can he say she say be used against a person for murder in Missouri’
Mayberry, who shares a child with Thomas, was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder in connection to the 2021 homicide
Authorities say Mayberry initially claimed he had been at work during the time of Thomas’s death, however, coworkers disputed his alibi, telling police he disappeared for several hours that day, only to return in different clothes and appearing visibly distressed.
‘Officers interviewed multiple co-workers, who stated the defendant had disappeared for hours during the timeframe in question,’ the affidavit reads.
‘When he returned, he was in different clothing and appeared emotionally distraught.’
Mayberry also allegedly sent a message to someone claiming that Thomas was ‘found dead in the kitchen with a plastic bag wrapped around her head’ – a detail that had not yet been made public.
He has also been accused of sending texts to criminal defense attorney asking how much it would cost ‘to defend a murder.’
During the years-long investigation, Thomas’s family told police she had been in an abusive relationship with Mayberry, Law and Crime reported.
Following Mayberry’s Wednesday arrest, Thomas’ sisters expressed a mix of relief and frustration, saying they were grateful charges had finally been filed, but questioned why it had taken over three years for justice to be served.
Thomas, the mother of Mayberry’s child, was found dead on December 27, 2021, by St. Louis Metropolitan police during a welfare check at her Oregon Avenue apartment in St. Louis
Thomas’ Oregon Avenue apartment in St. Louis
Thomas and Mayberry pictured together with their daughter, Starla
‘I already knew he had a part in it. There was nobody else that would do that to her,’ Thomas’ younger sister, Dewanna Coleman, told FirstAlert4.
‘I stayed on it. I stayed watching the news. Yes, he should have been charged because you had evidence right then and there. The day you called the family, y’all told us y’all had evidence,’ Thomas’ other sister, Cheneish Johnson, said.
Johnson added that she’s ‘happy’ about Mayberry’s arrest, but doesn’t feel ‘justice will ever be served’ for the brutal slaying.
‘I’m happy, but at the same time, I don’t feel justice will be ever served. She’s gone and we’ll never get her back. The kids will never see her again, yet he still gets to eat, take a bath, use the bathroom,’ Johnson, said.
Mayberry remains held without bond at the St. Louis Justice Center.
Court records show he was on federal probation at the time of Thomas’s death due to prior convictions for assault and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to Law & Crime.
