St. Louis police arrested Karl Mayberry, 34, after more than three years of investigation into Alvatyne Thomas’s murder. Investigators found that Mayberry searched for murder defenses searched online shortly before her death, raising suspicions.
Authorities charged Mayberry with first-degree murder for shooting Thomas, the mother of his youngest child. Officers arrived at a house on Oregon Avenue after a welfare check. They discovered Thomas’s body in the kitchen. A plastic bag had taped around her head. Bleach covered her body. Her wounds included a severed ear and multiple defensive injuries.
Mayberry initially claimed that he had been at work when Thomas was killed. However, coworkers contradicted his story. They told investigators that Mayberry left for several hours, returned in different clothes, and appeared distraught.
Investigators searched Mayberry’s phone and found troubling online searches.
He had looked up “first-degree murder defenses” and “can ‘he say, she say’ be used against a person for murder in Missouri.” These murder defenses searchedcoincided with the time of Thomas’s death, strongly linking Mayberry to the crime.
Soon after Thomas’s death, Mayberry messaged someone about her condition.
He mentioned the plastic bag around her head before police released any details to the public. He also reached out to a criminal defense lawyer, asking about the cost of representation in a murder case.
Family members told investigators that Mayberry had a history of abusing Thomas. They described his behavior as violent and controlling. Dewanna Coleman, Thomas’s sister, said the charges gave her peace. “I already knew he had a part in it,” she said.
Cheneish Johnson, another sister, expressed sorrow. “We’ll never get her back,” she said. “The kids lost their mom, and he still gets to live.”
Mayberry remains in custody at the St. Louis City Justice Center without bond. Court records show he violated probation for prior offenses, including assault and illegal possession of a firearm.
Investigators believe the murder defenses searched on Mayberry’s phone provided crucial evidence. They consider these searches key in confirming his role in the crime.
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