Nevelyn Stokes

Background

Nevelyn Stokes set fire to a woman’s apartment in the 1400 block of Salisbury after he had been beaten during a quarrel with the woman who lived in the building and her boyfriend earlier in the day.

Police said Stokes had robbed the woman about a month earlier, and the woman and her boyfriend paid him back with a beating. Stokes later returned to the woman’s apartment, bent on revenge, and brought a can of gasoline with him.

The offence

On March 12, 1999, six children were killed in a fire in the 1400 block of Salisbury.

Police later said Stokes set the fire after he was beaten up during a quarrel with the woman who lived in the building and her boyfriend. Police said Stokes set fire to a second story rear porch, apparently believing no one was in the building, but six children and three adults were inside.

A man, 18, dropped from a window. Firefighters picked another man, 19, off the roof. A woman, 20, tried to get to the third floor, where two of her children were, but she could not get through the flames and smoke and dropped from a window, suffering a broken leg.

Three of the children fled to a closet, apparently trying to escape the flames. Firefighters found their bodies. In the living room, firefighters found the bodies of three more children. One of these children would not have been able to escape as the flames spread rapidly.

The house was right across the road from a fire station, but firefighters could not rescue the children as the flames spread rapidly.

Police identified the victims as Amber Polk, 6 1/2 months; Briana Sanford, 2; Forise Dexter Nowden, 5; Jason Wordlaw, 6; Darrell Howell Jr., 8; and Danielle Williams, 9.

Investigation

Investigators learned at the fire scene about the earlier fight involving Stokes and began looking for him.

Traffic Officer Tim Pratt went to Stokes’ home in the 2500 block of Dodier Street. Fifteen people inside confronted the officer. Stokes’ mother was afraid the police would harm her son, but Pratt convinced her to turn him over to police.

Stokes struggled briefly with Pratt. He was assisted in this subduing of the suspect by some of the people in the house.

Arrest

Traffic Officer Tim Pratt went to Stokes’ home in the 2500 block of Dodier Street and took Stokes into custody after Pratt convinced Stokes’ mother to turn him over to police. Stokes struggled briefly with Pratt, and others in the house assisted in subduing him.

Trial

Stokes was charged with one count of first degree arson and six counts of felony murder.

The murder charge meant a death was caused by the commission of a felony—in this case, arson. Each count of felony murder carried a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Prosecutor Dwight Warren, who ran the homicide unit of the circuit attorney’s office, said Stokes could not be charged with first degree murder, which could carry a death sentence, because he had no intention to kill anyone. Warren said: “We can't prove he knew anybody was in there.”

Defense lawyer Kris Kerr reminded the court of Stokes’ testimony at trial that he did not know anyone was home when he splashed a gallon of gasoline in anger and ignited it.

At the hearing before St. Louis Circuit Judge Donald McCullin, Stokes said nothing.

Sentencing

Stokes was sentenced to separate terms of 120 years and life in prison on June 22, 2001.

Lawyers said Stokes must serve nearly 64 years before he could be eligible for parole.

Despite being sentenced Friday to separate terms of 120 years and life in prison for setting a fire that killed six children, Stokes would still be eligible for parole, but not until he was at least 88 years old.

Stokes, 25, was eligible for parole at a point when he would be at least 88 years old.

Outcome

Stokes was convicted of one count of first degree arson and six counts of felony murder related to the March 12, 1999 fire that killed six children.

Aftermath

Cheryl Evans, 25, and Denise Huber, 26, put a few dozen roses and carnations at the foot of the brick building where the children died. Evans owned a pizza place on the first floor of the building, while the children died upstairs.

In the days and nights after the fire, residents placed prayers, holy cards, stuffed animals, flowers, coins, and artificial flowers at the building where the children died.

A stocky man wearing a scuffed hardhat and a construction jumpsuit wrote on a poster scribbled over with prayers and poems. The poster included the message: “To Family and Friends. Be Strong.”