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MAJOR CASE SQUAD ACTIVATED TO INVESTIGATE STABBING DEATH

The Major Case Squad was activated to investigate a stabbing that resulted in a man’s death at a residence northeast of the Cuivre River State Park in Lincoln County.

On Sunday, January 17, 2021, in the late afternoon, Lincoln County 911 received a call reporting a fight at a residence on Grizzlys Lane in rural Troy, Missouri.

When deputies and ambulance personnel arrived they discovered a deceased adult male lying on the ground outside. The man was identified Chris Wright, 44, of Lincoln County. According to at least one witness the victim was stabbed during a fight with another Lincoln County man, Alex B. Kersting, 24 years of age, who fled the residence before deputies arrived.

The details of events surrounding the stabbing unfolded over the next several days. Local law enforcement, along with members of the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis, worked tirelessly to collect evidence, interview all potential witnesses and attempt to locate persons of interest, Kersting and his girlfriend, Monica Deroy, who was also present at the time of the fight.

Kersting and Deroy continued to elude capture until the evening of the January 19th, when information received from the public led to a residence in the area of Old Auburn Road. When confronted by law enforcement authorities, both Kersting and Deroy surrendered peacefully. They were both interviewed by detectives and are currently being held at the Lincoln County Jail on charges unrelated to the events surrounding the death of Chris Wright.

“When the death of a person occurs at the hands of another, regardless of circumstances, the public has a right to expect that those responsible will be brought to justice to answer for their actions. Anyone attempting to prevent justice being served is putting themselves and others at risk. We now have what detectives believe is a clearer picture of what happened during the altercation between Wright and Kersting. However, the investigation will remain open until key evidence can be analyzed by the crime lab. When the investigation is concluded, a report of the facts in this case will be in the hands of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. I have every confidence that the all facts will be given careful consideration.” said Sheriff Rick Harrell.