Background: Police investigate a shooting at a home on Bayview Drive in Ferguson, Missouri (KSDK/YouTube) Inset: Lavor Harmon (St. Louis County Sheriff”s Office)
In a sprawling case on the outskirts of St. Louis, Missouri, a girl’s father who reported her being raped refused a bribe to stay quiet – and was soon after killed, authorities say.
St. Louis County court records provide insight into the “shocking” case. It all began in March.
Lavor Harmon, 39, statutorily raped a girl under 17 – the legal age of consent in Missouri – on or near March 21, according to charges filed in May and a grand jury indictment filed in June. The defendant was subsequently arrested and charged with statutory rape and three counts of statutory sodomy – and placed under a bond of $150,000 with conditions including that he have no contact or communication with the alleged victim, including through third parties.
Prosecutors make additional “alarming” allegations in a motion from the state asking for Harmon’s bond to be increased.
“The facts of the case are alarming enough, but while this warrant has been active, investigations have revealed that the Defendant, his family members, and associates have engaged in criminal activity that demonstrates the significant danger he poses to the victim and community,” the document states.
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“Since charges had been filed, the father [of the alleged victim] made reports to the Ferguson Police Department alleging that the Defendant’s sister, Lavonda Harmon, and an unidentified male knocked on the door at [the father of the alleged victim’s] home and attempted to influence [him] to drop the charges in the above-listed cause,” the motion continues, referring to an incident that allegedly occurred on May 29. “They offered [the alleged victim’s father] $12,000 in exchange for no longer participating in this prosecution.”
The man did not accept the money, and Lavonda Harmon, 44, was later charged with tampering with a witness, prosecutors added. But the story does not end there.
“On July 8, 2025, a male arrived at the home of [the alleged victim’s father] and shot and killed [him] while [the alleged rape victim] and another minor were present at the home,” the motion adds. “A white Kia was observed driving from the scene. Later that same day, that male was discovered murdered in St. Louis City. The same Kia was burned nearby.”
The suspect in the shooting of the alleged rape victim’s father was not named. Law&Crime is withholding the name of the father to protect the child.
Prosecutors say an ongoing multi-agency investigation has found that the murder of the alleged rape victim’s father at his home on Bayview Drive was tied to Lavor Harmon and his family. While the motion was filed, Lavor Harmon was on supervised release from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, the filing adds, stressing that “his criminal history demonstrates that he is involved in organized criminal behavior and is unlikely to follow any conditions that this Court may order.”
Furthermore, “the appearance of the Defendant’s sister at the victim’s residence referencing this case and intimidating members of her family demonstrates to this Court that the Defendant and his family had knowledge of the warrant and the charges that had been issued in May 2025,” prosecutors maintain. “Rather than surrender himself to the authorities, the Defendant and his family attempted to influence the victim’s family.”
Calling Lavor Harmon a flight risk and a danger to the community and the alleged rape victim and her family, prosecutors requested the bond be raised to $2 million cash, a request that was granted. The warrant for Lavonda Harmon sheds further light on what authorities believe her role was.
The father of the believed victim of rape was the one who made the original report in that case, and a warrant from a Ferguson Police Department officer further maintains that Lavonda Harmon went to his home to speak with him on May 29 – after he made the report and charges were filed.
“My investigation showed that [Lavonda Harmon’s] purpose in speaking with [the alleged victim’s father] was to influence [him] to not participate in the prosecution of Lavor Harmon,” the officer states.
“A man who was with [Lavonda Harmon] effectively offered [the alleged victim’s father] twelve thousand dollars,” the warrant adds,” but – as the other court document asserted, the father “did not accept the money.”
The Ferguson police officer stated that he was told Lavonda Harmon lives in Texas, has a prior misdemeanor conviction from Georgia, and previously failed to appear for a court summons in 2013.
“I believe that the defendant poses a danger to a crime victim and to the community because of the above facts,” the officer added.
Lavonda Harmon was arrested on July 11, but she was released after posting a $100,000 bond. Her next court date is scheduled for Aug. 4. Lavor Harmon – who remains jailed, has his next court date scheduled for July 31.
Ferguson residents who lived near the shooting on Bayview Drive were left stunned.
“This is very shocking,” Latoya Carey, a nearby resident, told NBC affiliate KSDK.
Patricia Washington with the Ferguson Police Department said in the homicides they’ve investigated this year, the people involved all knew one another.
“None of these are random…” she told the outlet. “All of these are people who are known to each other.”
