United States | Crime without punishment

America’s homicide rate has declined since the 1990s. So have homicide-clearance rates

What happens to a city when homicides go unsolved

|ST LOUIS, MISSOURI

“I TRY TO keep them close,” says Maria Miller (pictured), holding out her wrist to display a bracelet composed of tiny framed pictures linked by a gold chain. They show her oldest and youngest brothers, Larry Miller and Harrol Berry, and her son Courtney Williams. All were murdered in 2014. Mr Miller was stabbed while in prison; two people have been tried for his murder. The killers of Mr Berry and Mr Williams, who was shot on a visit home from college, have never been caught.

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Crime without punishment”

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