Former St. Louis principal pleads guilty to murder for hire in teacher, unborn baby’s death
ST. LOUIS (First Alert 4) -- A former St. Louis middle school principal pleaded guilty to federal murder-for-hire charges in the death of a teacher and her unborn child.
Court documents filed Thursday show Cornelius Green pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder for hire and murder for hire. The plea agreement states the prosecution and defense agreed Green should be sentenced to life in prison on both counts.
A federal grand jury indicted Green in the murder-for-hire plot. The plea agreement in the federal case says the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office agreed to dismiss local murder charges if he was sentenced to life in prison on the federal charges.
Jocelyn Peters was a teacher at Mann Elementary in St. Louis City while Green was the principal of Carr Lane Visual Performing Arts School. Court documents say Green was married but was romantically involved with other women, including Peters. She was 27 weeks pregnant with Green’s child at the time of her death.
On February 29, 2016, Green sent a text to his childhood friend Phillip Cutler asking him to come to St. Louis. He sent him $2,500 on March 7 of that year. Green stole the money from Carr Lane to pay Cutler for the murder.
On March 21, Cutler traveled to St. Louis from Oklahoma and stayed at Green’s house. Green took an Amtrak train to Chicago the next day, leaving Cutler the keys to his car and keys to Peters’ apartment.
Peters was killed on March 24. She and her unborn baby died.
Green returned to St. Louis later that day. He went to Peters’ apartment and called 911 to report she was shot.
Cutler was also indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit murder for hire and murder for hire. His trial is set to begin on Monday, March 11.
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