Two teens in custody in Wheaton volleyball star’s murder
Two teens were in police custody Thursday night and may be charged with the murder of Megan Boken, the same day the Wheaton volleyball star was buried.
St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom announced the arrests of two 18-year-old men during a news conference early Thursday evening. Although no charges had been filed, Isom said police will present the case to prosecutors Friday for possible charges.
Detectives will be applying for warrants Friday morning, and police plan on identifying both suspects once the warrants are issued.
Boken was slain in broad daylight as she sat in her parked car on St. Louis’ Central West End, an upscale area near St. Louis University, which Boken attended. Police said several witnesses saw a man fire twice into her Volkswagen about 2:15 p.m., striking the 23-year-old financial adviser in the neck and chest.
Police credited the community and witnesses as well as St. Louis Metropolitan Police detectives for their help in locating the suspects.
“We are confident that based on the evidence we have captured the killers of Megan Boken and will bring them to justice,” the police department announced in a statement Thursday night.
Rewards of up to $31,000 have been offered for information leading to the Wheaton native’s killer. Police said their investigation remained open and active Thursday, with authorities still encouraging the public to come forward with any relevant details.
Boken’s funeral drew hundreds of mourners to St. Michael Catholic Church in Wheaton on Thursday. Her family asked that the media not attend the service. But the Rev. Daniel Hoehn later shared with the Daily Herald some of his words in his homily at the service.
“With some 7 billion people on the face of the earth, we are not going to look for a replacement for Megan. There is no such person; no one can replace her,” he wrote. “The pain we feel is because of this knowledge. But the pain that we now feel also reveals the surprising depth of our love for her, a pain her parents could not have imagined before she was born.”
And in St. Louis, more than 75 mourners gathered at Boken’s alma mater, St. Louis University, to remember the athlete known as much for her laughter as her skills on the court.
“That laugh was unmistakable, so genuine and completely courageous,” former teammate Sutton Lasater said at the service, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Sarah Entzeroth, who was with Boken until five minutes before the shooting, says everyone loved her friend and former St. Louis University volleyball teammate.
“She will never be replaced,” Entzeroth wrote in an email Thursday. “I am the luckiest to have spent the last few days with her.”
Boken was a two-time Daily Herald all-area player at St. Francis High School in Wheaton, helping lead the team to a pair of state championships. She remained in the spotlight at SLU as part of two teams appearing in the NCAA Tournament between 2007 and 2010.
Boken graduated last year with a degree in business administration and had worked as a financial adviser at Edward Jones in Wheaton. She was in St. Louis last weekend for job interviews and to play an alumni volleyball game, according to a friend.
At SLU, a photo of the popular athlete was placed near an altar during the memorial service at St. Francis Xavier (College) Church, the Post-Dispatch reported.
Ÿ Daily Herald news services contributed to this report