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A St. Louis man was arrested Tuesday and charged with murder in connection with the death of a college student who vanished while trying to sell his sports car on Craigslist, Missouri police announced Wednesday night.

Capt. Tim Fagan of the Florissant Police Department said at a news conference that 24-year-old Michael Gordon was taken into custody Tuesday in connection with the death of 19-year-old Taylor Clark. Fagan said Gordon was being held at the St. Louis County jail in lieu of $1 million bond.

In addition to first-degree murder, authorities have charged Gordon with armed criminal action.

Fagan said police arrested Gordon after his name was found in emails Gordon traded with Clark about the car Clark was trying to sell. Investigators said the two did not know one another before they met.

“No joyrides, it is a fun car and will be great for anyone who is looking for a fun car to drive!” wrote Clark, an engineering student at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in the ad posted on April 23 for his red 2007 Nissan 350ZX. Clark was asking $11,000 for the car.

Police say Gordon and Clark made arrangements to meet Tuesday in the parking lot of the MTC Truck Driver Training School, where Gordon worked and would ostensibly take the car for a test drive.


Instead, authorities say, Gordon killed Clark with a single gunshot and moved his body to a wooded area nearby. KTVI reported that authorities believe that Gordon arranged the meeting to take place on his lunch break, then went back to work after dumping Clark's body.

Clark's body was found 400 yards from his car Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

Fagan told reporters that the murder weapon has not been found, and a motive for the shooting has not been determined. Investigators say they are also looking for Gordon's missing car, which is described as a red 1990 BMW 325 with Missouri license plate number FL3Z9K.

Clark, who is from the southwestern Illinois town of St. Jacob, was reported missing by family members on Monday. Authorities say he was last seen by his girlfriend.

"Our hearts and minds are with Taylor Clark's family and friends as they cope with this tragic loss," SIU-Edwardsville Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe said in a statement Wednesday. "At a time of the year when the new spring season brings the promise of brighter days ahead, and commencement provides unending potential for so many of our students, it is truly sad that Taylor had his bright future taken away."

The Belleville (Illinois) News-Democrat reported that Clark worked at a convenience store in Troy, where a candlelight vigil was scheduled for Wednesday night. A similar vigil was held Tuesday night on campus.

Clark's death comes during the same week as a Monday court hearing in St. Charles County in which a 23-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing a 45-year-old St. Louis man during an encounter and planned robbery in 2012 that was set up through a Craigslist ad. On the same day of the hearing, Fairview Heights, Ill., police unveiled a "safe exchange zone" in its parking lot, complete with security cameras, to help citizens safely broker online transactions with strangers.

"You never know who it is you're contacting," Fagan said. "Precautions should be taken."

andy7171 wrote:Here's another one. This could be Mayor's son.

These stories don't make the national headlines, because there isn't enough room for them all.



Baltimore County Police Department
DUNDALK, Md. —A teenager charged as an adult in the beating of a Dundalk man has been indicted.
Baltimore County police have arrested a juvenile and more arrests are expected in the beating of a Dundalk man who remains in critical condition in a medically induced coma.

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/Teen-charged ... n/32864692" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Wedgebuster wrote:

andy7171 wrote:Here's another one. This could be Mayor's son.

These stories don't make the national headlines, because there isn't enough room for them all.



Baltimore County Police Department
DUNDALK, Md. —A teenager charged as an adult in the beating of a Dundalk man has been indicted.
Baltimore County police have arrested a juvenile and more arrests are expected in the beating of a Dundalk man who remains in critical condition in a medically induced coma.

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/Teen-charged ... n/32864692" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Somebody obviously slapped him across the mouth with a 2X4 or worse to cause that swelling. Was there a body cam in use?

Wedgebuster wrote:

andy7171 wrote:Here's another one. This could be Mayor's son.

These stories don't make the national headlines, because there isn't enough room for them all.



Baltimore County Police Department
DUNDALK, Md. —A teenager charged as an adult in the beating of a Dundalk man has been indicted.
Baltimore County police have arrested a juvenile and more arrests are expected in the beating of a Dundalk man who remains in critical condition in a medically induced coma.

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/Teen-charged ... n/32864692" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Somebody obviously slapped him across the mouth with a 2X4 or worse to cause that swelling. Was there a body cam in use?

BDKJMU wrote:Anytime there's a chance of while alone encountering a pack of black teens you need to be armed....

Skjellyfetti wrote:

BDKJMU wrote:Anytime there's a chance of while alone encountering a pack of black teens you need to be armed....

andy7171 wrote:

Skjellyfetti wrote:

You need to take a stroll through Baltimore alone to realize that BDK's remark, while racist, is not far from the truth. ESPECIALLY today.

Skjellyfetti wrote:

andy7171 wrote: You need to take a stroll through Baltimore alone to realize that BDK's remark, while racist, is not far from the truth. ESPECIALLY today.

He didn't say anything about Baltimore. Certainly I would not walk around the Baltimore projects right now... even if I were armed.

Blanket labeling ALL black teens this way is part of the problem.

It also means that BDK doesn't spend much time around black people. But, clearly spends his fall Saturdays proudly cheering on black teen "animals."

Skjellyfetti wrote:

andy7171 wrote: You need to take a stroll through Baltimore alone to realize that BDK's remark, while racist, is not far from the truth. ESPECIALLY today.

He didn't say anything about Baltimore. Certainly I would not walk around the Baltimore projects right now... even if I were armed.

Blanket labeling ALL black teens this way is part of the problem.

It also means that BDK doesn't spend much time around black people. But, clearly spends his fall Saturdays proudly cheering on black teen "animals."

BDKJMU wrote:

Skjellyfetti wrote:
He didn't say anything about Baltimore. Certainly I would not walk around the Baltimore projects right now... even if I were armed.

Blanket labeling ALL black teens this way is part of the problem.

It also means that BDK doesn't spend much time around black people. But, clearly spends his fall Saturdays proudly cheering on black teen "animals."

Were the ones who severely beat this 61 yr old man not animals??