18-year-old suspect accused of 3 murders was neighbors with mother and daughter victims

By Web Staff

Click here for updates on this story

    ST. LOUIS (KMOV) — The 18-year-old accused of the gruesome murder of a 27-year-old mother and her 8-year-old child was their downstairs neighbor, police say. The man is also accused of killing another woman just 12 hours prior.

According to charging documents, Prinshun McClain was seen on surveillance video following 26-year-old Victoria Manisco at 1106 Dover Place before 11 p.m. Tuesday before the sound of a gunshot. He’s then seen running away from the area and was wearing distinctive clothes. Manisco was found the next day lying on the front porch with a shot to her right cheek.

At 10:35 a.m. Wednesday – 12 hours after Manisco’s killing – police say McClain was seen leaving his apartment at 4246 Pleasant Street and walking to the rear of the building to enter the apartment of his neighbors 27-year-old Terri Bankhead and her 8-year-old daughter, Da’Nilya. McClain was wearing the same distinctive clothes.

Bankhead’s mother couldn’t reach Bankhead all morning and then went to the apartment to check on them. She called police at 3 p.m. Wednesday saying her daughter and granddaughter were tied to a bed and shot multiple times.

On Thursday, McClain was arrested with the help of Granite City police officers and was in custody in Illinois. The Circuit Attorney’s Office issued warrants against McClain for three counts of first-degree murder, first-degree burglary and four counts of armed criminal action.

Earlier Thursday, employees with St. Louis Crisis Nursery and the Urban League went door to door on Pleasant Street offering support and childcare supplies to those with young children.

“Whenever St Louis Crisis Nursery hears that a child has been injured, hurt or killed we jump into action to be as supportive to the community as much as we can,” said St. Louis Crisis Nursery C.E.O. DiAnne Mueller.

The crime was so shocking that complete strangers went to the home on Thursday to create a small memorial with flowers and balloons. “I had tears running down my eyes,” said Gwen Wilson. Her daughter, Kamill Wilson, added, “please stop killing these young ladies and these children.”

With little-to-no real-time cameras in the area, police and family begged the community for help. While Chief Hayden and his department continue to deal with the ongoing seriousness of crimes across North City, with Da’Nilya’s murder, the city has now seen 11 children killed this year.

“This is very tragic and I think the weight of incidents like these really bring everyone down in the community. It’s really a sad situation,” Hayden said.

Sha’Greggria Brown is Bankhead’s first cousin, but they were more like sisters. She told News 4 Bankhead went by the nickname ‘Shug’.

“Growing up with Shug it was never a dull moment, like you’re gonna laugh the entire time. She should’ve been a stand up comedian,” Brown said. “We all from St. Louis, and yes we did all grow up together pretty much every day.”

Brown described Bankhead as a dedicated single mother and friend. She said Da’Nilya would’ve turned nine in a few weeks.

“If didn’t nobody have no money and Shug did, we all had some. That’s the type of person she is. She is so giving. She’s fun to be around. She’s down for her friends, she was very loyal. When I got the news I was like ‘why, like I don’t understand, come on Shug,'” Brown said.

Brown said family members are shaken and hurt, and begging the community to help solve the crime.

“It’s an 8-year-old that was just murdered and tied up in your community. We need to stand up and take control of our community. Do something better, everyone just do something. Something needs to be done,” Brown said. “Everyone feels like they need to move out of town for a better life and this is where we grew up at.”

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.