ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis Circuit Court judge signed an arrest warrant Wednesday for an accused rapist already facing the same charge in neighboring St. Louis County.
Law enforcement and prosecutors in both the city and county confirmed Thursday that Jherrit M. Stansberry, 24, was not in custody.
According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s probable cause statement, the incident in the city unfolded on June 12, 2024, when officers were called to Christian Hospital for a reported rape.
The victim told police she’d been to several parties and had become highly intoxicated. At some point, she was separated from her friends. She later woke up at an unknown home with a man having intercourse with her. She described having blood in her swimsuit and feeling a great deal of pain. The victim told investigators she had no memory of meeting the man that evening but was aware of who he was.
Police sought out the suspect, identified as Stansberry, for an interview. After being read his Miranda rights, police said Stansberry denied having intercourse with the victim and voluntarily provided a mouth swab to law enforcement.
Investigators discovered Stansberry’s DNA on numerous swabs provided by the victim during a sexual assault forensic exam.
During the investigation, detectives learned of a similar incident involving a different victim who lived on the same street and reported a possible sexual assault after attending a party and becoming intoxicated. This victim reported her neighbor, Stansberry, was at the party and inside her residence that evening. DNA test results from that case are still pending.
City detectives then learned Stansberry had an active warrant in St. Louis County for rape and met with investigators on that case.
According to the St. Louis County Police Department’s probable cause statement, that incident happened on Jan. 17, 2023. Officers were dispatched to Christian Northwest Hospital for a reported sexual assault. As in the city case, the victim told police she woke up in her bed to discover to Stansberry having nonconsensual intercourse with her. Stansberry’s DNA appeared in the victim’s rape kit.
At present, Stansberry is facing one count of first-degree rape in St. Louis City and St. Louis County. The county arrest warrant carries a $250,000 cash-only bond, while the city warrant does not allow any bond.