San Marcos Police arrest murder suspect in San Antonio

San Marcos Police have arrested 42-year-old Kiril St. John Sokoloff (DOB 06/03/1978) in San Antonio for the murder of a San Marcos woman on Friday evening.

On Friday, Mar. 12, 2021, at approximately 8:34 p.m., SMPD officers responded to a welfare check call at a residence near the corner of North Bishop Street and Craddock Avenue

Upon arrival at the residence, officers knocked on the front door and didn’t receive an answer. They then went around to the back of the house where they discovered a woman’s body on the patio.

Evidence at the scene indicated the woman’s death was the result of a homicide. Officers also found an infant lying near the woman that was transported to Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin.

An evaluation determined the baby was not seriously injured.

The deceased woman has been identified as 36-year-old Cheryl Ritzer of San Marcos, TX. The next of kin has been notified.

The SMPD Criminal Investigation Division investigated Ritzer’s death and identified the murder suspect. On Monday, Mar. 15, 2021, detectives obtained a warrant for Sokoloff’s arrest for Murder. He was taken into custody in San Antonio and, as of this release, is being transported back to Hays County for booking into the Hays County Jail.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Davidson at 512.753.2315 or tdavidson@sanmarcostx.gov.  This is the second homicide in San Marcos in 2021.