Bonne Terre man charged with killing Francis

A Bonne Terre, Mo., man has been charged with five felonies in connection with the death of a Cape Girardeau tattoo artist who disappeared in December after telling his father he feared the man would kill him, court records show.

Samuel Francis, 38, was last seen alive Dec. 17 at a residence outside Desloge, Mo. His body was found July 25 in a septic tank near Bonne Terre.

A criminal complaint filed in St. Francois County Circuit Court charges Melvin J. Scherrer, 49, with one count each of first-degree murder, armed criminal action, felonious restraint, abandonment of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence in connection with Francis' death.

Melvin John Scherrer

Francis' father, Gary Francis, told the Southeast Missourian in February he was concerned his son had been killed by a member of a motorcycle gang with which he had been associating.

The night before he disappeared, Samuel Francis sent his father a message saying if he turned up missing, he likely had been shot, Gary Francis said.

Over his father's objections, Samuel Francis went to Cedar Lake in St. Francois County with some gang members to do tattoo work for them, saying he was afraid if he ran from them, they would kill him, Gary Francis said in February.

According to a probable-cause statement filed by Sgt. P. Smith of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, witnesses and electronic information placed Samuel Francis at Scherrer's residence Dec. 18, the last day his wife, Amanda, communicated with him.

Interviewed by police Jan. 14, Scherrer claimed he had met Francis once about seven years ago but did not know him, and he said Samuel Francis never had been in his house, Smith wrote.

A search of Scherrer's home Jan. 29 revealed blood evidence containing Francis' DNA, Smith wrote.

Witnesses told investigators Scherrer had struck Francis with a baseball bat, taped his hands behind his back, wrapped his head with tape and removed him from his residence while he was still alive, Smith wrote.

Chief deputy Greg Armstrong of the St. Francois County Sheriff's Department declined to comment Thursday on what led investigators to Francis' body or whether he was alive when he was placed in the septic tank.

According to the criminal complaint, Scherrer "knowingly caused the death of Samuel Francis by striking him and smothering him."

Armstrong would not comment Thursday on whether police believe Scherrer had any accomplices, but a July 26 news release from the department stated that "suspects have been identified and charges are expected to be forthcoming."

In February, a female relative, speaking on condition of anonymity, described Samuel Francis as "a tough guy" who had trained as a martial artist and boxer.

In May, Scherrer was charged with tampering with a motor vehicle and receiving stolen property on Jan. 29, online court records show.

It was not immediately clear whether those charges were related to the search of his home that occurred the same day.

Online court records also show Scherrer pleaded guilty to drug charges in 2008 in Jefferson County, Mo., and he was placed on supervised probation in 1996 for a pair of second-degree assault charges out of St. Louis County.