True Crime All The Time Unsolved

Episode 403: The Murder of Darren Seals Jr

Release Date: February 24, 2025
Hosts: Mike Ferguson & Mike Gibson

Overview

This episode dives deep into the unsolved murder of Darren Seals Jr, a prominent activist in Ferguson, Missouri, following the 2014 police shooting of Michael Brown. The hosts examine Seals' background, activism, polarizing views, his contentious relationship with fellow activists and law enforcement, the details of his murder, and the swirl of conspiracy theories and speculation that surround the case.

Darren Seals: Life, Activism, and Personality

Early Life and Experiences with Violence

• Background:

  • Born May 15, 1987, grew up in Ferguson, MO
  • Friends with Michael Brown’s family

• Survivor of Prior Shootings:

  • On August 3, 2013, Seals was shot 7 times by a stranger while waiting for his ride outside his cousin's house.
  • He described blocking bullets with his hands and being motivated by thoughts of his younger brother:

    "At first I thought I was dead... I blocked three bullets heading towards my face. Two with the left hand, one with the right..." – [05:00]
    "The first thing I thought about was the most important person in the world to me, and that's my baby brother Byron." – [05:26]

• Impact:

  • The experience reaffirmed his commitment to his community.
  • Quoted by friend Maya Ayton White:

    “Every time he talked about getting shot, he would say that moment forever changed his life.” – [08:10]

Activism and Community Work

• Catalyst:

  • Became deeply involved after Michael Brown's killing (August 9, 2014)
  • Co-founded Hands Up United activist collective

• Work:

  • Held a day job at a GM plant
  • Organized community events, like giving out Thanksgiving meals & Christmas gifts

• Reputation:

  • Passionate, but polarizing: respected by local organizers, but clashed with nationally recognized activists
  • Known for unfiltered, uncompromising truth-telling

    "Not in the business of earning goodwill. Seals was scorned by many prominent activists, yet beloved by a cadre of local activists who regarded him as a brave truth teller." – [10:30]

• Social Media Outspokeness:

  • Frequently posted strong opinions—sometimes containing language considered homophobic or misogynistic.
  • Example Facebook post:

    “Caught my first felony at the age of 18 for slamming a cop on his head. Was shot seven times and had a smile on my face the whole time. I'm a fighter and I've been one all my life. I do what I do because I'm fearless." – [11:30]

  • Often criticized key figures or organizations, including President Obama and Black Lives Matter, accusing BLM of “hijacking” Ferguson protests and failing to support the community financially.

    “Millions and millions flowing through the hands of these organizations in the name of Mike Brown. Yet… we still don't see any of it coming into the Ferguson community…” – [14:00]

Notable Incidents & Tensions

• Physical confrontation with activist DeRay McKesson

  • Seals accused McKesson of stealing money from protest groups and slapped him during a demonstration ([16:40]).

• Foreshadowing of His Own Death:

  • Posted on Facebook in October 2015:

    "If I was to die young… hopefully that won't happen… share memories, laugh together, cry…lay me to rest.” – [18:00]

  • Was murdered less than a year later, age 29.

The Murder: What Happened & Immediate Aftermath

The Crime

• When/Where:

  • ~1:50am, September 6, 2016.
  • Seals found shot and burned in his car, Riverview, St. Louis suburbs (less than 5 miles from his home) ([18:57])

• Details:

  • Clearly a targeted attack
  • Number of gunshots and bullet locations undisclosed
  • Police presence and activism history immediately fueled speculation of police involvement

Reactions

• Outpouring of Grief

  • Vigils and a funeral attended by hundreds, including activists and Seals’ family
  • His father said:

    "I miss my son. I miss him a lot. I forgive the person who killed him because I'm a Christian. God is going to deal with you." – [23:24]

• Law Enforcement Response

  • Criticism over crime scene handling (e.g., car door left at the scene possibly with fingerprints)

    "The memorial is constructed on top of his car door, which the police just left there. You would think the car door would be important evidence." – Heather Demian, [22:06]

  • St. Louis Police maintained they conduct investigations “as professionally as possible” – but specifics unanswered ([22:31])

• Media & Public Discourse

  • DeRay Mckesson tweeted:

    "We can live in a world where people don't die by violence… We did not always agree, but he should be alive today." – [20:36]

  • Many saw the killing in the context of other activist deaths and suggested targeted killings ([25:00])

Parallels, Patterns, and Theorizing

Similar Incidents

• DeAndre Joshua (Nov 24, 2014):

  • Shot and burned in a car, same day as Brown grand jury, also unsolved ([25:19])
  • Rumored to be a grand jury witness (disproven)

• Multiple Other Similar Murders:

  • Darnell Robinson (Sep 2014): Killed, car set on fire; this case solved and unrelated to activism ([29:04])
  • Antonio Jones (Nov 2014), Terrell Beasley (Dec 2014), Vincent Casello (Feb 2015): all killed, bodies burned in vehicles; motives ranged from drug disputes to uncertain ([31:10]–[33:10])
  • At least six men associated with Ferguson protests have died: Seals, Joshua, Basim Masri (overdose), three suicides (including possible suspicious circumstances in Donye Jones’s death) ([35:31])

    “She noted that her son was upbeat and did not appear depressed at the time of his death… She didn’t report these threats to the police. So far, the police have found no evidence of foul play…” – [35:40]

Why the Patterns Raise Questions

• Multiple deaths of activists/potential witnesses in similar fashion draw local and national suspicion.
• Theorizing ranges from accidents of high local violence rates, coincidence, or targeted killings by law enforcement or others threatened by activism:

  "Could these be suicides, a fentanyl overdose and two unconnected murders that really have nothing to do with what happened in Ferguson? … Or is there a connection?" – [38:13]

Conspiracy, Surveillance, and the Mystery Deepens

FBI Surveillance & Redacted Files

• Riverfront Times Report (Sept 2022)
  • FBI maintained a 900-page, heavily redacted file on Seals, calling him a “self-described revolutionary…somewhat militant rhetoric…has access to weapons” ([39:00])

    "900 pages is a lot, but 800 of the 900 to be redacted... What are you not wanting us to see?" – Mike Gibson [39:09]

• June 2016 pull-over: Seals detained at FBI's request, released despite traffic warrants
• File references possibility of protests after Seals’ death and notes public expectation of police involvement
• Redactions and surveillance fuel further conspiracy theories

  “I think the mere fact that… it comes out that they have an open FBI file on this guy, that's going to fuel speculation. Yeah, all on its own…” – [43:15]

Theories & Open Questions

• Was Seals killed because of activism, by police or rival activists?
• Could the crime have unrelated motives (random violence, personal feud, etc.)?
• Does the high murder rate in St. Louis explain the pattern, or is something deeper at work?
• Why so little evidence released, so much withheld? Are law enforcement agencies hiding mistakes—or something more sinister?

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Seals’ strength and community focus:

  "His dream was to open a youth center in Ferguson, one where any child could go and learn, play sports and be empowered. This is what Darren Seals was about." – Basim Masri, [16:00]

• On the breadth of suspicion:

  "He was trying to make a positive change, although it seems like federal investigators were questioning his methods of bringing about that change." – Mike Ferguson, [45:08]

• On public trust and conspiracy:

  "I'm admitting that there are some strange things here… Is it hard for me to believe that the FBI, or really any police agency would make the decision that they're going to murder someone? Yeah, that's hard for me because that's not what I expect to happen. Is it easier for some other people to think that that could happen? It is, sure. Because they've had much different experiences with the police than you and I have." – Mike Ferguson, [42:43]

• On maintaining open-mindedness:

  "In this case especially, you really have to kind of leave everything on the table, even the conspiracy theories and these rumors and conspiracies, you know, associated with the case. They've been there right from the beginning." – Mike Ferguson, [46:49]

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------| | 03:27 | Episode theme announcement & context | | 05:00 | Seals' 2013 shooting story in his own words | | 10:30 | Discussion of Seals as a “brave truth-teller” | | 14:00 | Seals’ criticism of BLM and funding | | 16:40 | Confrontation with DeRay McKesson | | 18:00 | Seals’ foreshadowing/prophetic Facebook post | | 18:57 | Circumstances of Seals’ murder | | 22:06 | Critique of police handling of the crime scene | | 23:24 | Comments from Seals’ father at the funeral | | 25:19 | Discussion of DeAndre Joshua’s eerily similar murder | | 35:31 | List of activist deaths post-Ferguson | | 39:00 | FBI surveillance and 900/800 page file | | 41:00 | Hosts reflect on why conspiracy theories thrive | | 46:49 | Concluding perspectives on the open case |

Conclusion

The murder of Darren Seals Jr. remains an open and deeply contested case, standing at the intersection of community activism, police distrust, violence, and conspiracy. This episode, with its careful detail and respectful speculation, underscores why this case continues to inspire passionate debate—and why it matters for both the Ferguson community and the wider dialogue about race, justice, and power in America.

Final Thought:

"We just don’t know. But that is it for our episode on Darren Seals." – Mike Ferguson, [48:42]

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