Belleville man threatened to kill person because of sexual orientation, police allege
A Belleville man admitted to police that he threatened to shoot and kill the employee of a St. Louis business because of their sexual orientation, according to court records.
William Hendree, 36, was charged in St. Louis with first-degree harassment, a felony, on June 15 after he sent threatening messages.
According to St. Louis Municipal Court records, the threats were made on March 4 at an undisclosed business on Laclede Avenue in the city’s Central West End. Hendree sent messages saying he would use hollow point bullets to kill the employee and that he was waiting outside where they worked, the records allege.
In a statement to police, Hendree admitted sending the messages and that he was in the area at the time the threats were made. He told them he was targeting the person because of their sexual orientation and that he had made similar threats against others at the business.
It’s not clear if he was also targeting them for their sexual orientation. Those incidents are being investigated, according to court records.
Hendree, who was arrested and charged Sunday, will make his initial court appearance is scheduled to be at 1 p.m. on Monday, June 17, at the Carnahan Courthouse in St. Louis.
A circuit judge denied Hendree bond and ordered him held, calling him a flight risk because of his Illinois residency and that he was a danger to the public because he admitted to making the other threats, according to the court records.
As of late Monday morning, court records did no list an attorney for Hendree.
This story was originally published June 17, 2024 at 11:47 AM.
