St. Louis, MO — Todd Beckman, 53 of Fenton, has been sentenced to 240 months in federal prison for his central role in a harrowing kidnapping that left a Maplewood man battered, bound, and on the brink of death. The sentence, handed down today by U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig, marks the end of a years-long investigation into a crime so vicious it shocked even seasoned federal prosecutors.
According to court documents, the nightmare began on November 21, 2016, when brothers Blake and Caleb Laubinger ambushed the victim inside his own home. They zip-tied his hands, beat him, and threatened to kill him if he made a sound. The men stuffed him into a rental truck and hauled him to Blake Laubinger’s basement, where they strapped him in handcuffs, wrapped him in duct tape, and held him captive. Todd Beckman and Kerry Roades arrived soon after — and the torture escalated.
Beckman and Roades punched, kicked, and tased the victim while pressing a handgun to his head. They accused him of stealing from Blake Laubinger and demanded money. The kidnappers made repeated ransom calls to the victim’s parents in Florida, threatening to execute him if they didn’t pay. Over 48 hours, the man was beaten repeatedly, shocked with a Taser, and forced to endure psychological torment as his life hung in the balance.
On November 22, Beckman, along with the Laubinger brothers, moved the victim to Beckman’s property and locked him inside a steel shipping container. There, Beckman pressed a gun to the man’s head once more and repeated his death threat. The container became a steel coffin in waiting — dark, cold, and drenched in fear.
The ransom was paid the next day. On November 23, the victim’s parents wired approximately $27,000 to Todd Beckman. Only after the money changed hands was the man dragged from the container, warned to stay silent on pain of death, and dumped at the Gravois Bluffs shopping center in a ‘St. Louis Tan Co.’ van. He was alive — but forever scarred.
Beckman pleaded guilty on November 2 to one felony count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Maplewood Police Department, and FBI, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Davis and Stephen Casey. Kerry Roades and the Laubinger brothers face separate charges in state and federal courts. For now, Todd Beckman begins his 20-year sentence — locked away, but his victim’s trauma endures.
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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