Jocelyn Peters was working on baby shower invitations at the time she was killed. Who is to blame?
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Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Jocelyn Peters, a 30-year-old pregnant teacher, was murdered in her St. Louis apartment on March 24, 2016.
- ❖The crime scene featured no forced entry, a missing phone, a .380 shell casing, and splattered potato fragments, believed to be from a makeshift silencer.
- ❖Jocelyn's boyfriend, Cornelius Green, a school principal, was the father of her unborn child and the primary suspect.
- ❖Green's childhood friend, Philip Cutler, was identified as the hitman after Green loaned him his car, which was seen near the crime scene.
- ❖Cutler was caught on camera eating pages from a notebook during police questioning after hearing 'homicide investigation'.
- ❖Text messages between Green and Cutler discussed Cutler's visit and Green sending a 'package' containing $2,500.
- ❖Green stole $2,700 from his school's dance team to pay Cutler for the murder.
- ❖Green's motive was to avoid financial responsibility for the baby, having previously searched for ways to terminate a pregnancy.
- ❖Cutler's Google location data placed his phone inside Jocelyn's apartment during the murder and later at a park where he likely discarded evidence.
- ❖Green pleaded guilty to federal murder-for-hire charges, admitting he paid Cutler. Cutler was found guilty at trial.
- ❖Both men received two consecutive life sentences for the murders of Jocelyn Peters and her unborn child, Micah Lee.
Insights
1Potato as a Makeshift Silencer
Investigators discovered potato fragments splattered around Jocelyn Peters' head and bedroom. They theorized the potato was used as a makeshift suppressor for the firearm. This highly dangerous method was believed to be effective as no neighbors reported hearing a gunshot at the time of the murder.
Organic material identified as potato fragments found in the bedroom, on the victim, and around her pillow. No calls for service regarding gunshots in the area around the time of the murder.
2Philip Cutler's Bizarre Notebook Incident
During initial questioning, Philip Cutler, alone in the interrogation room, was observed on camera tearing pages from a notebook and chewing them. This occurred immediately after an officer mentioned the term 'homicide investigation.' Cutler later claimed the pages contained a phone number for a marijuana dealer.
Surveillance video footage from the interrogation room showing Cutler tearing out and chewing notebook pages after hearing about a 'homicide investigation.'
3Digital Evidence Uncovers 'Murder-for-Hire' Plot
An examination of Cornelius Green's phone revealed a text message exchange with Philip Cutler a month before the murder, discussing Cutler's visit and Green sending a 'package.' This package, shipped overnight via UPS, contained $2,500. Cutler's Google location history placed his phone directly inside Jocelyn's apartment during the murder and later at a park where the weapon was likely discarded.
Text messages between Green and Cutler ('When you coming here? ... You going to be sending the package?'), UPS shipping records for a package from Green to Cutler, and Cutler's Google location data placing him at the crime scene.
4Motive: Avoiding Financial Responsibility for Unborn Child
Cornelius Green's primary motive for the murder was to avoid the financial obligations of having another child. He was already married (though separated from his wife) and had a daughter. Prior to the murder, Green had searched online for methods to terminate a pregnancy, including obtaining medications and concealing them in food.
Green's internet search history for ways to terminate a pregnancy, and statements from prosecutors regarding his desire to avoid financial responsibility for Micah Lee.
5Funding the Hit: Theft from School Dance Team
Cornelius Green, as a school principal, stole approximately $2,700 from his own school's dance team funds in early March 2016. Investigators concluded this stolen money was the $2,500 mailed to Philip Cutler as payment for the murder.
Police report of $2,700 theft from Carlane Middle School dance team funds, and Philip Cutler's confession that Green sent him $2,500 in cash.
Lessons
- Implement comprehensive surveillance in all police interrogation rooms, including real-time monitoring, to prevent suspects from destroying evidence like Philip Cutler did with his notebook.
- Prioritize digital forensics, including phone records, text messages, and location data, as a primary investigative tool in complex cases, recognizing its potential as an 'electronic eyewitness.'
- Educate individuals, especially those in vulnerable situations, about the signs of manipulative behavior in relationships, such as stalling tactics (e.g., house hunting) and emotional distance, which can precede escalating conflict or violence.
Quotes
"Whatever was on those two sheets of paper, he immediately wanted to get rid of."
"We believe the potato was used as a makeshift suppression silencer to silence the sound of the firearm being fired."
"It was inherently obvious that he wanted detectives to know I wasn't anywhere around here when this happened."
"We're fairly conclusive that this money taken from the dance team is the same cash that was mailed to Philip Cutler to murder Joselyn Peters."
"He's stealing from his school to give money to a hitman to kill his girlfriend. Correct. $2,500. I mean, how cheap is a life?"
"I believe he wanted to not be involved with Joselyn anymore and didn't want a financial obligation that Michael Lee represented him."
"He is a monster and he's the worst kind of monster because he pretends to be something else."
Q&A
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