ST. LOUIS – A Belleville, Illinois, man is due in court next month for threatening to kill a St. Louis business owner. He’s also wanted for sending threats to another individual via social media.

According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s probable cause statement, the threats started on March 4.

Police claim William M. Hendree, 36, sent several messages to a Central West End business owner threatening to use hollow point ammunition to shoot him, and said he would be waiting at the business to kill him.

Hendree is also accused of sending similar messages to employees at the business.


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After being taken into custody, police claim Hendree admitted that he was targeting the owner because of his sexual orientation.

The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office charged Hendree with one count of first-degree harassment. On June 17, the judge presiding over the case signed an order releasing Hendree on his own recognizance, over the objections of prosecutors. Hendree must wear a GPS monitoring device and is due in court for a status hearing on July 17.

However, on June 18, another circuit court judge signed an arrest warrant for Hendree in a separate harassment case.

In this incident, a woman reported to St. Louis police in February 2023 that Hendree was sending derogatory and threatening messages to her on her social media accounts. As a result, the victim was forced to take precautions to protect herself and her children.

Hendree was charged with first-degree harassment in this case. Upon his arrest, he’ll be held on a $15,000 cash-only bond.