“We were celebrating our one year anniversary,” she said. “He had shown me the ring he was going to buy. I’m just ... devastated.”

Sapone had served in the Navy before taking a job in the pharmaceutical business in St. Louis at MilliporeSigma. His true passion, though, was his side photography business and playing the guitar, said Sprandel. Sprandel dances under the stage name Ami Amore and Sapone was working on a song for her to dance to before his death.

“He was a deep thinker. I’d describe him as withdrawn,” said Sapone’s sister, Frankie Sapone-Henderson.

Sapone had moved to Cherokee Street to live with Sprandel less than a year ago. The couple worried about crime in the area, but enjoyed the artistic environment in the neighborhood known for antiques, bars and restaurants, Sprandel said.

“It’s Cherokee Street, everybody knows there’s a crime problem,” said Sprandel. “But there’s great people here and I guess you never expect anything like this.”

But police say violent crime like this is rare on Cherokee Street today.