Missouri man was stabbed to death by his wife after years of alleged abuse

A Missouri man described by those who knew him as "gentle" was allegedly stabbed to death by his "abusive" wife after spending years "tolerating" her cruelty and threats, according to his family and police.

Alonzo McDaniel, 65, was killed in north St Louis last month, with his loved ones saying he had endured abuse at the hands of his wife, Evelyn McDaniel, also 65, for a considerable period of time before she finally took his life, court documents reveal.

"We tried to tell him to leave because we knew something was gonna happen," Alonzo's sister, Tina-Marie McDaniel, told local NBC affiliate KSDK.

"She's been abusive. He's been tolerating her for a very long time. She's threatened him. She said what she was gonna do, and she finally acted on it."

A friend heard everything

A probable cause affidavit states that Evelyn McDaniel "admitted to stabbing" Alonzo in the chest on 23 April.

One of Alonzo's closest friends, James Moton, says he was on the phone with him at the time and heard Evelyn shouting at her husband immediately before the fatal attack.

"All of a sudden I heard an altercation. I heard him scream, 'Ah, why you just stabbed me?! You stabbed me!' Me being on the phone and hearing that and him taking his last breath or screaming and then it goes silent. It's just, I'm lost. That's like a brother to me."

He refused to raise his hand

Tina-Marie McDaniel told local CBS affiliate KMOV that despite standing 6-foot-3, Alonzo would never physically defend himself against his 4-foot-7 wife during her alleged attacks.

"He would not hit her. He would not fight her. If he wanted to really stop her, he could have. With physical force. But I believe she took advantage of that and just went for what she knew and just took my brother's life."

According to Tina-Marie McDaniel, Evelyn had been "really irate all day" and had been drinking before the couple returned home and began to argue. She told KMOV what she was informed had happened next:

"At that point, from what I was told, because I wasn't here, she started trying to stab him. And he was like, 'What are you doing?' He said stop. And then they heard him scream."

A pillar of his community

According to KSDK, neighbours and friends remembered Alonzo as a truck driver who was a well-known figure on his street — someone who mowed lawns free of charge, checked in on elderly residents following storms, bought groceries for people in need, and mentored young people in the neighbourhood.

"My brother is so gentle. The whole block loved him. He was caring. He was supportive. He would come and do anything for anybody," Tina-Marie McDaniel told KMOV.

Justice demanded

Speaking about the charges her sister-in-law now faces, Tina-Marie McDaniel made clear what she expects from the legal system:

"I'm depending on the justice system to do what they're supposed to do. Not let this slide and not let her walk away."

Evelyn McDaniel has been charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. She is currently being held without bond, and no court date has yet been scheduled.