Both suspects, Matthew Marshall, 18, of the 29000 block of Marlin Drive in Wright City, and Matthew L. Johnson, 18, of St. Ann, are in custody in the Warren County jail. They are being held on a $250,000 cash-only bond. At this time they are charged with first-degree assault. Sheriff Kevin Harrison said additional charges are expected to be filed once the investigation is complete. The investigation has been extended, Harrison acknowledged, because of the need to reinterview witnesses, many of whom were intoxicated at the party. "We had to go back and firm up a lot of the interviews," Harrison said. "That has been one of our biggest challenges." According to a police report, a 911 call was received at 12:51 a.m. from the 13000 block of Bobwhite Lane notifying authorities of the stabbing. The caller said the suspects came to the party with bats and knives and assaulted and stabbed two people. Fernando A. Melgar, a 31-year-old Hispanic male from the 30000 block of Sherry Drive in Wright City, was dead when law enforcement authorities arrived. He had been stabbed several times in the chest, abdomen and back. A second victim, 45-year-old Raymond T. Post, who lived at the residence where the party was being held, also was stabbed. Post was transported by ARCH helicopter to an undisclosed St. Louis hospital. He had his spleen removed, his liver was damaged and his lung was punctured, according to Harrison. Harrison said Post's family had told him his condition was improving as of Tuesday morning. The police report said Marshall and Johnson showed up at the party after a female friend called them because she didn't like the way she was being treated, Harrison said. The two suspects then got into a fight with Melgar and Post, the police report said. "They went in and looked for the individuals," Harrison noted. One resident who lives just down the road from the crime scene was shocked to hear about the incident. He was walking his dogs later in the morning and noticed yellow police tape surrounding the residence. A bonfire from the New Year's party was still smoldering Friday morning. "We've never had anything down here like this," James Coad said. "Everybody watches out for everybody else and if we see somebody strange, we know it. "This surprised the . . . . out of us. You could hear the party - the sound carries back in the woods - it's no big deal, but we've never had any fights or none of that . . . . out there. That kind of crap is just ridiculous." Both suspects were taken into custody later in the morning at two separate locations. Harrison said Johnson was taken into custody by St. Peters police on Interstate 70 near the Fifth Street exit in St. Charles. An adult and two juveniles also were in the vehicle, but were released after questioning. Marshall, meanwhile, was apprehended near Houston, Mo., located a couple hours south in Texas County. Marshall was headed to West Plains in a vehicle driven by his mother, who was released after questioning, Harrison said. Both suspects have criminal histories, authorities said. Marshall was already on probation for two years for third-degree assault and another five years for second-degree burglary. Meanwhile, Johnson was sentenced in 2008 to two years of probation for driving while intoxicated.

Wright City Stabbing Leaves One Dead, Another Critically Injured

Wright City Stabbing Leaves One Dead, Another Critically Injured