Man Charged in Missouri Couple’s Deaths

A 22-year-old man is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of a Missouri couple.

Deonta Johnson, of Normandy, was charged Wednesday in the November 2018 deaths of 47-year-old Igor Zhukov and 43-year-old Michele Laws, from Olivette.

Johnson also was charged with two counts of first-degree robbery and four counts of armed criminal action. He was ordered held without bail.

Zhukov and Laws were found dead in December in their vehicle at the bottom of a ravine.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the victims met Johnson to sell cellphones. Johnson allegedly tried to steal the phones, causing an auto accident. The charges say he then shot both victims in the head.

No attorney for Johnson is listed in online court records.