James Danny Dickens was 42 years old when he was killed in St. Louis on Saturday, October 27, 2007. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated his death, and the Washington Post's homicide database, which tracked killings in St. Louis through 2017, lists it as a homicide that remained open with no arrest.
Beyond his name, his age and the date of his death, almost nothing about James Danny Dickens has been made public. No news story about the killing, obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this account. He surely had family, friends and neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record.
Because so little has been released, even the basic circumstances remain unknown to the public.
The record does not say how he was killed, whether he was attacked indoors or on the street, whether he knew his attacker, what time of day it happened, whether he died at the scene or later at a hospital, or whether anyone else was hurt. It does not say whether investigators ever identified a suspect or a motive.
James Danny Dickens's name also appears in a 2018 Washington Post investigation that listed thousands of homicide victims across major American cities whose killings had not led to an arrest. Being on that list means that, a decade after his death, the case was still counted among those for which no one had been arrested.
He stands out among St. Louis homicide victims of the era as a white man of 42 killed in north St. Louis. He died on a Saturday in late October. His case is also listed as active on CrimeTea, an online database of unsolved cases, but that listing adds no details.
His name is recorded with what appears to be a middle name or nickname, Danny. No obituary, memorial or news story could be tied to him.
The location recorded in the database places his death in north St. Louis, east of Fairground Park. The database records exactly the same map point for the killing of Cortez Carvon Blanks about two weeks later, which suggests the point may mark a street or block rather than an exact address. People who lived there in late October 2007 may remember the police activity that followed.
St. Louis has long had one of the highest homicide rates of any large American city. The city recorded 138 homicides in 2007 and 167 in 2008, at a time when it had roughly 350,000 residents, and many of those killings never led to an arrest. Homicide detectives carried heavy caseloads, and cases with few public details, like this one, often faded from view quickly.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of James Danny Dickens could be found in news archives or public records. More than 18 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who knew James Danny Dickens, saw him in late October 2007, or heard talk afterward of what happened to him may be able to help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a car seen leaving the area or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Division at 314-444-5371, or leave an anonymous tip with CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (866-371-8477).
