A suspect of a homicide belonging to a Catholic group participates in his first court appearance | News

ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) – This 53-year-old man, accused of killing a woman at a Catholic supply store in West St. Louis County, appeared for the first time in court Monday.

In his first appearance in court, Thomas Bruce, who was shackled, asked for a public defender. He will not be eligible for bail and his next court appearance will be December 5th.

Bruce was charged with 17 criminal leaders including first degree murder, three counts of sodomy and three counts of kidnapping. Other charges include first-degree burglary, tampering with evidence and armed criminal action.

According to the police investigation, Bruce claimed to be a client of the Catholic supply store Monday afternoon. He went out and went back into the store with a handgun.

Police said Bruce had ordered the three victims to go to the back of the store, where he had forced them to undress at gunpoint, before exposing them to the victims. Bruce then asked the victims to engage in a sexual act on him, according to the police.

According to the survey, Jaime Schmidt, 53, of House Springs, denied Bruce's requests and was shot for not obeying. Bruce escaped shortly thereafter.

The law authorizes the death penalty in Bruce's case if the jury concludes that the murder was committed during the commission of other serious crimes. However, the decision to introduce the death penalty as a possible sanction will be at the discretion of the newly elected prosecutor, Wesley Bell.

Bruce, of Imperial, Missouri, was arrested at his home by police early Wednesday morning.

News teams 4 found a strong police presence in a trailer park on Geranium Drive, in the Imperial, around noon Wednesday. Police vehicles from St. Louis County were present at the scene, as well as cars from Jefferson County. The neighbors tell News 4 that a hundred or so officers arrived home around 5 am Wednesday Wednesday.

Bruce's employer told News 4 that he had not heard from him for 12 days.

According to a LinkedIn page affiliated with Bruce, he reportedly worked at the Jewish Community Center in Greater Saint Louis and was a department head at a Schnucks store.

He presents himself as a naval veteran, having served from 1983 to 1994. He also claims to have volunteered as a pastor at Cape County Jail.

According to court documents, Bruce lived in 27 different residences and filed for bankruptcy twice.

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"She was a great person, the family was very united," Jamie Schmidt's sister-in-law Cathy Soulon said on Tuesday. "Just a perfect person, she has been a housewife for many, many years, then she finally started to find a job and get out of the social world, and that happens." It's staggering. This world has been upset, it's true. "