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A pregnant woman's
found in her apartment.
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A single gunshot
wound through her eye
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that instantaneously
killed her.
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And a potato was used
to silence the gun.
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She was sound asleep and
just ambushed in her own bed.
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There was no DNA evidence,
no forced entry.
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This was not a
burglary-type homicide.
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00:00:36,340 --> 00:00:39,516
It looked like one of
those old mafia movies.
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What all is going on here?
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There is video
surveillance of someone
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turning onto the victim's
street the night of the murder.
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He tears out a single
sheet of paper and proceeds
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to chew it up and swallow it.
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There's no question
that this was
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an elaborate, premeditated
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plan to end her life.
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We were dispatched
to West Pine Avenue.
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At the same time,
EMS responded,
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declared the victim deceased.
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At the scene, we were
met by the person that made
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a 911 call, Cornelius Green.
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And he said he
was the boyfriend
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of the victim that was inside.
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Her name was Jocelyn Peters.
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Cornelius was
extremely out of breath,
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a little bit frantic.
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He told us Miss Peters
was seven months pregnant,
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and he oftentimes stayed
with her at her apartment.
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It was a secure
building with a key
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that cannot be duplicated for
the front main entrance door.
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As you enter the
apartment building,
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you'd go through a secure
locked glass foyer entrance.
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The victim's apartment
was that first apartment
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on the left as you walk up
to the second floor.
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As you enter the apartment,
to the right is the bedroom.
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Her bedroom door was opened.
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The victim was on
her bed laying
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on her right side, pillow
tucked underneath her arms,
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blankets no longer on her.
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You could definitely
tell that she was pregnant.
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She had her arms folded
like she was sound asleep
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and just ambushed
in her own bed.
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She had obvious gunshot wound
through her eye and blood that
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had came down the
side of her face
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and pooled on the
pillow next to her arm.
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Terribly tragic scene.
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I do not believe this
poor woman ever knew what
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hit her before it happened.
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The whole thing was horrible.
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This was an investigation
of a homicide.
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As we looked
around the bedroom,
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we observed something that
was extremely strange,
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what appeared to be an organic
material all around the victim
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on her bed,
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large chunks of it on the
wall and next to the bed.
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This was unidentified,
and we immediately
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requested our
evidence technicians
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to come in and seize this
material so we could send
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it off for further analysis.
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We identified,
underneath the dresser
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next to the victim's
bed, a spent shell casing
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for a .380-caliber handgun.
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But there was no DNA evidence
obtained during that time.
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One of the first
things that I noticed
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is that there wasn't
clothes strewn about.
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There wasn't TVs
or anything knocked over.
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There wasn't drawers
tossed out like someone
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that went through an apartment
looking for something.
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There was no forced entry.
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Nothing taken.
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This was not a
burglary-type homicide.
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There was something
else going on here.
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00:04:26,831 --> 00:04:30,443
We also noticed there was
gifts that were laid out.
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There was a shirt that
indicated "I love Daddy"
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and other items
related to her baby.
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It looked like this
woman's whole life
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was surrounded around a child
that she was about to have.
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While our evidence
technicians were conducting
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the interior scene
investigation,
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we responded outside
of the apartment
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and spoke with Mr. Green.
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Cornelius Green
was very upset.
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And he told me that his
girlfriend, Jocelyn Peters,
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was 30 years old, and she
was getting ready to have
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a shower for her child.
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He immediately
said, you got to find
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out who killed the mother of
my child and my unborn child.
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Cornelius said that Ms.
Peters was currently employed
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as a third grade school
teacher
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00:05:19,101 --> 00:05:22,277
at Mann Elementary School
in the city of Saint Louis.
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And that he said he was a
principal at Carr Lane School,
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but he had prior worked
at Mann Elementary,
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and that's how they
began the relationship.
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And he also stated that he
was out of town visiting some
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friends in Chicago,
and he got off the Amtrak
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train at 2:59 p.m. that day.
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We continued
our conversation,
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I asked how many keys there
were for the apartment.
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He said he had one and
the victim had one.
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These are heavy-duty doors
that if you had to break in,
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you would have had to
make a lot of noise.
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You would have had
to done damage.
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None of that was visible.
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So Cornelius Green was taken
down to police headquarters
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for more interviewing.
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My phone just started
ringing
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and ringing and ringing.
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And I looked up.
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It was Cornelius.
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He was like,
it's been an accident.
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It's been blood.
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It's blood.
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I said, I got to go now.
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It felt like I was driving
only 2 miles an hour.
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And I got to her apartment.
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There was police.
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And I walked up to her door,
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and the cop just looked at me,
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and she was like, she's dead.
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And I was like,
what about the baby?
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What about the baby?
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And she just kind of like,
dropped her head down.
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And she was like,
the baby's dead, too.
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I just couldn't believe it.
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She wasn't the young lady to
be out and running the street,
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making enemies,
stuff like that.
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She just wasn't that person.
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I told the police, we just
took a family cruise for her
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30th birthday, with Cornelius.
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I believe they paid for
the cruise together.
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He was a good guy.
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It was a good relationship.
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She was really happy and
ecstatic because this would
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have been her first child.
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I just felt like if I could
have traded my life for hers,
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I would have gladly did it.
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We have a young, pregnant
school teacher,
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has no enemies,
no criminal history,
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and she was shot in her sleep.
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So we went back inside
of the apartment.
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We're going to be
meticulous, take our time,
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and go through and get every
obstructive fact that we
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can obtain from the scene.
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As we looked around
the apartment again,
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the kitchen was in order.
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On the refrigerator, the victim
had a menu for the whole week
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written on a whiteboard,
contained everything
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she wanted to feed herself.
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We observed on the kitchen
dining room table a 10-pound
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bag of Russet baking potatoes.
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The bag was opened,
but the menu
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on her refrigerator,
none of those recipes
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indicated they used potatoes.
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The substance that
was all over the victim
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and the victim's bed and the
walls, the evidence technician
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unit was able to find a piece
big enough that indicated
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it may possibly be a potato.
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There's old mafia movies where
they use potatoes as silencers.
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If it was a
silencer trick, it's
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not like you're going to go
in and break into a house
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and then look
around for a potato,
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decide to kill
somebody sleeping.
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Somebody knew the potato was
going to be there, that they
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were going to obviously use.
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This was a clearly
and obviously
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a premeditated and
planned murder.
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There was the
package with the money
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to kill Jocelyn Peters.
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You could clearly see
a 10-pound bag of Russet
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potatoes sitting on there.
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She is literally purchasing
the tools that are going
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to be used in her own murder.
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It becomes very apparent
how much thought process went
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into this before it happened.
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She never saw this coming.
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On March 24, 2016,
when I found out,
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Jocelyn Peters was
found shot to death.
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And what struck me
immediately was the fact
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that she was
pregnant, and a potato
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was used to silence the gun.
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So I went to the area
where the crime scene was.
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And people were talking about
how nice and sweet she was.
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I just didn't understand.
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Please, please tell me
this isn't true, is it?
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She was such a nurturing
and loving teacher,
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her passion, her liveliness.
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She was very, very skilled.
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And she had just
this fire about her.
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We knew she would
be an amazing mom.
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She was really ecstatic
about having the baby,
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because this would have
been her first child.
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Micah Leigh was the name
for her baby
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that she was carrying.
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And from my interviews with her
family, friends, coworkers,
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it was fairly obvious
how excited Jocelyn
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was to be a new mother.
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Upon speaking with the
medical examiner at the scene,
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it was determined that
Ms. Peters died between 2:59
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00:10:46,950 --> 00:10:49,952
and 3:48 a.m. from a single
gunshot wound through her eye
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00:10:49,953 --> 00:10:52,738
from a .380-caliber
handgun that would have
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00:10:52,739 --> 00:10:55,262
instantaneously
killed her and caused
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the death of her unborn child.
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I immediately thought,
how did this happen?
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00:11:00,921 --> 00:11:02,661
Why did this happen?
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00:11:02,662 --> 00:11:04,750
Mr. Green had told
Sergeant McGlynn
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00:11:04,751 --> 00:11:06,490
that he was the only
one to have access
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00:11:06,491 --> 00:11:09,493
and keys to the
apartment, and there
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00:11:09,494 --> 00:11:11,539
was no sign of forced entry.
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So Cornelius Green
was obviously a person
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00:11:14,412 --> 00:11:17,763
of interest at this point.
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00:11:17,764 --> 00:11:21,331
So we conveyed Mr. Green
down to the Homicide office
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00:11:21,332 --> 00:11:24,247
so we could interview him.
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00:11:24,248 --> 00:11:28,338
When murders happen, the
overwhelming majority of them
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00:11:28,339 --> 00:11:30,689
are at the hands of
someone that we know--
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00:11:30,690 --> 00:11:33,953
a family member,
spouse, brother,
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00:11:33,954 --> 00:11:35,955
sister, something like that.
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00:11:35,956 --> 00:11:38,000
During that
initial interview,
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00:11:38,001 --> 00:11:40,829
we want to see his body
language, how he speaks.
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Does he react as
most people normally
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00:11:42,919 --> 00:11:44,704
do in a situation like that?
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00:12:03,635 --> 00:12:06,507
Cornelius Green,
when he's being questioned
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00:12:06,508 --> 00:12:08,552
by the detectives,
he seems to be
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00:12:08,553 --> 00:12:11,033
upset about losing this
child and this woman
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00:12:11,034 --> 00:12:12,818
that he has loved.
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00:12:12,819 --> 00:12:16,430
But he doesn't engage in a
heck of a lot of eye contact.
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00:12:16,431 --> 00:12:20,042
It seems that he is
trying hard to manage
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00:12:20,043 --> 00:12:21,479
the way other people see him.
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During that same time, we
want to get a timeline of,
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when did you get into town?
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How did you get here?
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As he's on the train
coming back to Saint Louis,
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Cornelius starts calling
Jocelyn repeatedly,
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not getting answers.
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He calls her mother
and says, I'm concerned.
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She's not answering my calls.
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00:13:09,310 --> 00:13:15,097
Cornelius informed me that
he was picked up by his friend
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in Cornelius's car.
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He dropped his friend off,
came over to the apartment,
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00:13:22,149 --> 00:13:23,541
and found the victim.
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While we were
interviewing him,
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I had the investigators
call the train station.
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We got their
surveillance footage,
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00:13:41,037 --> 00:13:44,300
and we could see Cornelius
coming off the Amtrak
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00:13:44,301 --> 00:13:46,302
train into the terminal.
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00:13:46,303 --> 00:13:48,957
Cornelius Green was
out of town in Chicago
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00:13:48,958 --> 00:13:52,743
at the time of the
murder so he obviously
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00:13:52,744 --> 00:13:54,963
was not the triggerman.
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00:13:54,964 --> 00:13:58,706
But the odd thing about
that was, he was looking up
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00:13:58,707 --> 00:14:00,447
at the cameras
to make sure that
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00:14:00,448 --> 00:14:02,318
you could see a good,
clear view of him
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00:14:02,319 --> 00:14:04,233
getting off that train.
252
00:14:04,234 --> 00:14:06,061
He made a point to be seen.
253
00:14:06,062 --> 00:14:08,237
That was something
that stuck in our head.
254
00:14:08,238 --> 00:14:09,673
So we had to keep digging.
255
00:14:09,674 --> 00:14:11,588
We wanted to get a
little background
256
00:14:11,589 --> 00:14:15,680
on his ongoing relationship
with Jocelyn Peters.
257
00:14:21,861 --> 00:14:23,949
He had stated that they
had been looking at houses
258
00:14:23,950 --> 00:14:27,996
and had just, two weeks prior
to her death, went on a cruise
259
00:14:27,997 --> 00:14:30,869
together with several
members of her family.
260
00:14:30,870 --> 00:14:34,525
But then he said something
that was extremely strange.
261
00:14:47,974 --> 00:14:50,192
Mr. Green explained
to us that he
262
00:14:50,193 --> 00:14:54,066
was currently separated from
his wife, obtaining a divorce.
263
00:14:54,067 --> 00:14:59,288
And it was due to his ongoing
relationship with Ms. Peters.
264
00:14:59,289 --> 00:15:03,162
At that point, I wanted
to search Cornelius's car,
265
00:15:03,163 --> 00:15:06,556
and I was going to search
the victim's car as well.
266
00:15:06,557 --> 00:15:08,994
Because vehicles are
places that sometimes
267
00:15:08,995 --> 00:15:10,386
evidence ends up.
268
00:15:10,387 --> 00:15:11,911
It's an extension
of the crime scene.
269
00:15:26,882 --> 00:15:28,578
Mr. Green became
extremely agitated.
270
00:15:28,579 --> 00:15:32,409
Felt like it was an accusatory
question that we would ask him.
271
00:15:40,896 --> 00:15:44,899
He became irate towards
us and refused consent
272
00:15:44,900 --> 00:15:47,423
for any officers to look
inside of his vehicle
273
00:15:47,424 --> 00:15:49,469
at that current time.
274
00:15:49,470 --> 00:15:52,341
And you're like,
this guy is obviously
275
00:15:52,342 --> 00:15:54,039
involved in something.
276
00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:57,042
And then during the
course of our interview,
277
00:15:57,043 --> 00:16:00,741
Mr. Green requested to
contact his daughter.
278
00:16:00,742 --> 00:16:03,571
And we monitored this as
it was happening live.
279
00:16:07,357 --> 00:16:10,490
He had the volume
up so loud that you
280
00:16:10,491 --> 00:16:12,972
could hear the other person
on the other line talking.
281
00:16:21,850 --> 00:16:24,286
His vehicle had still
remained at the scene,
282
00:16:24,287 --> 00:16:28,116
and he was reaching out
to his wife, Stephanie.
283
00:16:28,117 --> 00:16:30,814
He wanted her to meet
with someone named Phillip
284
00:16:30,815 --> 00:16:33,208
and give him the
keys so Phillip
285
00:16:33,209 --> 00:16:35,297
can go pick up his vehicle.
286
00:16:35,298 --> 00:16:38,561
Which makes zero sense when
his girlfriend and his child
287
00:16:38,562 --> 00:16:39,954
have just been murdered.
288
00:16:39,955 --> 00:16:41,825
It makes you wonder,
who is Phillip,
289
00:16:41,826 --> 00:16:44,524
and why is Cornelius
so concerned
290
00:16:44,525 --> 00:16:46,961
about his wife
meeting with this man,
291
00:16:46,962 --> 00:16:49,008
and what all is going on here?
292
00:16:56,537 --> 00:16:59,539
At one point during the
interview with Cornelius Green,
293
00:16:59,540 --> 00:17:02,108
he makes a phone
call to his wife.
294
00:17:07,635 --> 00:17:10,463
Cornelius had requested
his wife, Stephanie,
295
00:17:10,464 --> 00:17:13,379
to get his spare key
and take it to a friend
296
00:17:13,380 --> 00:17:15,685
of his named Phillip.
297
00:17:15,686 --> 00:17:19,038
After speaking to his wife,
he reached out to Phillip.
298
00:17:29,483 --> 00:17:31,832
Green arranges for
Stephanie and Phillip
299
00:17:31,833 --> 00:17:36,489
to meet at this gas station
by Forest Park and Highway 40.
300
00:17:36,490 --> 00:17:40,014
And then Cornelius wants him
to go pick up his vehicle
301
00:17:40,015 --> 00:17:41,755
at the crime scene.
302
00:17:41,756 --> 00:17:44,801
It was kind of shocking
to see him do that.
303
00:17:44,802 --> 00:17:48,109
I wanted to know what was
on the inside of that car
304
00:17:48,110 --> 00:17:50,677
that Cornelius was
trying to hide.
305
00:17:50,678 --> 00:17:55,334
Cornelius wasn't a suspect,
but his extreme concern
306
00:17:55,335 --> 00:17:58,250
over his vehicle gave
us a pause and concern
307
00:17:58,251 --> 00:18:00,382
to investigate further.
308
00:18:00,383 --> 00:18:02,123
But we were not
able to get a search
309
00:18:02,124 --> 00:18:05,692
warrant, because there was
not enough tangible evidence
310
00:18:05,693 --> 00:18:06,954
at that point.
311
00:18:06,955 --> 00:18:09,217
So we went back in
the interview room
312
00:18:09,218 --> 00:18:11,611
and we asked who
he was talking to.
313
00:18:11,612 --> 00:18:16,833
He admitted that he called his
wife, Stephanie, and a friend
314
00:18:16,834 --> 00:18:19,184
of his named Phillip Cutler.
315
00:18:19,185 --> 00:18:21,055
We wanted to know
why he's the one
316
00:18:21,056 --> 00:18:22,623
that Cornelius reached out to.
317
00:18:37,594 --> 00:18:40,988
Obviously, we knew that on
the 22nd, Cornelius Green took
318
00:18:40,989 --> 00:18:42,903
the Amtrak train to Chicago.
319
00:18:42,904 --> 00:18:45,559
We wanted to know who gave him
a ride to the Amtrak station.
320
00:18:58,528 --> 00:19:01,922
We knew he did not want us
to search that vehicle, which
321
00:19:01,923 --> 00:19:03,663
really didn't make sense.
322
00:19:03,664 --> 00:19:07,971
We wanted to know, what did
Phillip Cutler do with the car
323
00:19:07,972 --> 00:19:10,583
while Cornelius was gone?
324
00:19:10,584 --> 00:19:12,802
Was he near Jocelyn
Peter's apartment
325
00:19:12,803 --> 00:19:15,196
during the time when
the murder had occurred?
326
00:19:15,197 --> 00:19:18,156
So now, he's a person
that we got to interview.
327
00:19:18,157 --> 00:19:20,941
We had investigators
respond to that gas station.
328
00:19:20,942 --> 00:19:23,291
They were able to make
contact with Stephanie Green
329
00:19:23,292 --> 00:19:25,424
and Phillip Cutler,
and they're both brought down
330
00:19:25,425 --> 00:19:28,122
to the Homicide Division,
where we're able to interview
331
00:19:28,123 --> 00:19:29,950
them that evening.
332
00:19:29,951 --> 00:19:32,257
And we obviously had to look
pretty hard
333
00:19:32,258 --> 00:19:33,867
at Cornelius's wife,
334
00:19:33,868 --> 00:19:36,174
because he indicated
there was a divorce
335
00:19:36,175 --> 00:19:38,132
that was going to take place.
336
00:19:38,133 --> 00:19:41,570
Stephanie Green was shook up
and in fragile emotional state
337
00:19:41,571 --> 00:19:42,832
while we were speaking to her.
338
00:19:42,833 --> 00:19:44,573
She had no idea
that Cornelius was
339
00:19:44,574 --> 00:19:47,272
involved in this relationship
with our victim,
340
00:19:47,273 --> 00:19:49,796
Jocelyn Peters.
341
00:19:49,797 --> 00:19:53,278
And she was further unaware
that Cornelius and Jocelyn were
342
00:19:53,279 --> 00:19:55,976
expecting a newborn child.
343
00:19:55,977 --> 00:19:59,414
It was kind of a bombshell
that was dropped on her.
344
00:19:59,415 --> 00:20:03,592
That was immediately
a red flag for detectives.
345
00:20:03,593 --> 00:20:06,943
Cornelius's wife said,
there was no talk of divorce.
346
00:20:06,944 --> 00:20:09,772
There was no talk of
we're having problems.
347
00:20:09,773 --> 00:20:13,559
And she had an alibi
when the murder occurred.
348
00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:15,561
Stephanie was cooperative.
349
00:20:15,562 --> 00:20:18,564
There was nothing that
indicated to us that she was
350
00:20:18,565 --> 00:20:21,001
being dishonest or
deceitful, so we
351
00:20:21,002 --> 00:20:22,829
have to rule Stephanie out.
352
00:20:22,830 --> 00:20:26,789
But Mr. Green's lies regarding
him obtaining a divorce
353
00:20:26,790 --> 00:20:29,792
from his wife made him
look even more to us
354
00:20:29,793 --> 00:20:32,969
like a suspect during
this investigation.
355
00:20:32,970 --> 00:20:35,930
So the next step was to
speak with Phillip Cutler.
356
00:20:50,423 --> 00:20:54,034
He stated that he had
not personally met her
357
00:20:54,035 --> 00:20:58,691
and denied ever being over
at victim Peter's residence.
358
00:20:58,692 --> 00:21:01,781
Then we kind of went into
a let's get a timeline
359
00:21:01,782 --> 00:21:03,827
of when did you get into town?
360
00:21:17,145 --> 00:21:19,189
He stated he'd come
here on the Greyhound bus.
361
00:21:19,190 --> 00:21:23,193
Cornelius picked him up at
the bus station on the 21st
362
00:21:23,194 --> 00:21:24,674
at approximately
10:30 in the evening.
363
00:21:41,300 --> 00:21:43,823
When we asked him-- you came
down to visit your friend.
364
00:21:43,824 --> 00:21:45,738
Doesn't that seem--
that seems a little odd.
365
00:21:45,739 --> 00:21:47,609
Did you know he was
going to be leaving?
366
00:21:47,610 --> 00:21:51,961
He kind of hem-hawed a little
bit around the question.
367
00:21:51,962 --> 00:21:54,224
And at this point,
we had conducted interviews
368
00:21:54,225 --> 00:21:56,575
with Mr. Cutler, Mr. Green.
369
00:21:56,576 --> 00:21:58,403
Some of the things
just didn't sit
370
00:21:58,404 --> 00:22:00,100
right with the investigation.
371
00:22:00,101 --> 00:22:03,886
Cornelius gave Phillip Cutler
possession of his vehicle
372
00:22:03,887 --> 00:22:06,846
while he was out of
town, and then he
373
00:22:06,847 --> 00:22:09,152
refused consent
for any officers
374
00:22:09,153 --> 00:22:11,111
to look inside of his vehicle.
375
00:22:11,112 --> 00:22:14,506
Also, Green wasn't telling
the truth about being
376
00:22:14,507 --> 00:22:16,246
separated from his wife.
377
00:22:16,247 --> 00:22:18,814
So they were certainly
persons of interest,
378
00:22:18,815 --> 00:22:23,471
but there were no
arrests at that time.
379
00:22:23,472 --> 00:22:25,908
But we had investigators
continued reviewing
380
00:22:25,909 --> 00:22:27,997
the evidence,
reviewing reports,
381
00:22:27,998 --> 00:22:30,086
and video footage
from the interviews
382
00:22:30,087 --> 00:22:33,220
with Mr. Cutler, Mr. Green,
383
00:22:33,221 --> 00:22:36,441
that's when we observed
something that was extremely
384
00:22:36,442 --> 00:22:39,313
strange that occurred
while Mr. Cutler was
385
00:22:39,314 --> 00:22:42,011
alone in the interview room.
386
00:22:42,012 --> 00:22:43,448
He's pacing back and forth.
387
00:22:43,449 --> 00:22:45,014
And then much to
our astonishment,
388
00:22:45,015 --> 00:22:49,105
he thumbs through
a notepad, tears
389
00:22:49,106 --> 00:22:52,195
out a single sheet of
paper, and proceeds
390
00:22:52,196 --> 00:22:54,807
to chew it up and swallow it.
391
00:22:54,808 --> 00:22:58,027
My immediate reaction
was, what in the heck?
392
00:22:58,028 --> 00:23:00,203
There's no doubt in my mind
that that piece of paper
393
00:23:00,204 --> 00:23:04,338
was a direct connection
to him and the murder
394
00:23:04,339 --> 00:23:06,820
that had just occurred.
395
00:23:14,305 --> 00:23:17,090
During the interview,
you see Phillip Cutler
396
00:23:17,091 --> 00:23:19,614
get a piece of paper
with some writing on it
397
00:23:19,615 --> 00:23:23,183
and then goes to his mouth
with it and it disappears.
398
00:23:23,184 --> 00:23:25,315
It's very unusual,
what he does.
399
00:23:25,316 --> 00:23:28,188
It was like he was
trying to hide something.
400
00:23:28,189 --> 00:23:31,626
Possibly, there's some
indication of guilt there.
401
00:23:31,627 --> 00:23:34,760
Because of their behavior,
our investigation now
402
00:23:34,761 --> 00:23:37,632
is directed towards Phillip
Cutler and Cornelius Green
403
00:23:37,633 --> 00:23:38,981
as suspects.
404
00:23:38,982 --> 00:23:40,374
But we need evidence.
405
00:23:40,375 --> 00:23:42,202
So one of the
things that we do is,
406
00:23:42,203 --> 00:23:45,161
we'll look for potential
surveillance equipment
407
00:23:45,162 --> 00:23:47,250
throughout the neighborhood.
408
00:23:47,251 --> 00:23:49,470
The entrance to
Jocelyn's street,
409
00:23:49,471 --> 00:23:51,211
where the apartments
were located,
410
00:23:51,212 --> 00:23:54,649
had a building that had
some security footage
411
00:23:54,650 --> 00:23:56,912
running 24/7 on the perimeter.
412
00:23:56,913 --> 00:24:01,090
I was able to reach out and
go over surveillance footage.
413
00:24:01,091 --> 00:24:04,224
We know that Cornelius Green
arrived over at the scene
414
00:24:04,225 --> 00:24:07,880
sometime around 3:20 the
afternoon after the murder,
415
00:24:07,881 --> 00:24:12,362
and he was driving his car, so
that gave us a starting point.
416
00:24:12,363 --> 00:24:14,974
We backed up and went
through probably 12
417
00:24:14,975 --> 00:24:17,759
to 15 hours of
video surveillance
418
00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:19,457
of that intersection.
419
00:24:19,458 --> 00:24:22,024
As we're looking at it,
2:59 a.m.
420
00:24:22,025 --> 00:24:23,896
on the night of the murder,
421
00:24:23,897 --> 00:24:26,725
we see a vehicle
turn onto Jocelyn
422
00:24:26,726 --> 00:24:28,422
Peters's street from Boyle.
423
00:24:28,423 --> 00:24:32,557
And we later observe it
leave the street around 3:48.
424
00:24:32,558 --> 00:24:35,211
It was a white Kia, and
they were able to zoom in,
425
00:24:35,212 --> 00:24:38,214
and we got three or
four positive letters
426
00:24:38,215 --> 00:24:40,478
off the license plate.
427
00:24:40,479 --> 00:24:43,611
It was indeed Cornelius
Green's white Kia Optima.
428
00:24:43,612 --> 00:24:46,266
We knew that Cornelius
Green was out of town,
429
00:24:46,267 --> 00:24:49,138
and he had left the keys
to his vehicle
430
00:24:49,139 --> 00:24:50,531
with Phillip Cutler.
431
00:24:50,532 --> 00:24:53,578
And we knew that those
keys also contained a key
432
00:24:53,579 --> 00:24:56,145
to enter into that
apartment complex
433
00:24:56,146 --> 00:24:59,235
and enter into Mrs.
Peters's apartment.
434
00:24:59,236 --> 00:25:01,542
At this point,
it gave us a theory
435
00:25:01,543 --> 00:25:05,155
that Phillip Cutler was the
one that killed Jocelyn Peters.
436
00:25:10,421 --> 00:25:16,339
I couldn't really
process her untimely death,
437
00:25:16,340 --> 00:25:19,429
but I had a funeral to plan.
438
00:25:19,430 --> 00:25:21,910
Principal Nicole had called,
and she was like, well,
439
00:25:21,911 --> 00:25:23,216
you know what?
440
00:25:23,217 --> 00:25:25,958
I'm going to call that
day off for the kids
441
00:25:25,959 --> 00:25:30,571
so they'll be able to
attend Jocelyn's funeral.
442
00:25:30,572 --> 00:25:32,486
There were kids that
were really struggling,
443
00:25:32,487 --> 00:25:37,622
so we really wanted to find
a way to celebrate her life.
444
00:25:37,623 --> 00:25:42,627
When I got to the funeral,
it was people already
445
00:25:42,628 --> 00:25:45,064
just standing there
lined around the corner
446
00:25:45,065 --> 00:25:47,022
just to see her.
447
00:25:47,023 --> 00:25:50,460
Jocelyn's favorite
color is yellow.
448
00:25:50,461 --> 00:25:54,247
So at the funeral,
when the kids walked past me,
449
00:25:54,248 --> 00:25:57,859
all the kids would hand
me one yellow rose.
450
00:25:57,860 --> 00:25:59,382
It was really hard.
451
00:25:59,383 --> 00:26:02,821
I was constantly praying.
452
00:26:02,822 --> 00:26:05,867
Cornelius did not
attend her funeral.
453
00:26:05,868 --> 00:26:09,784
It ran in the back of my
mind, why my daughter is dead,
454
00:26:09,785 --> 00:26:11,090
he's not dead, too?
455
00:26:11,091 --> 00:26:12,614
That's what I wanted to know.
456
00:26:15,574 --> 00:26:18,663
As we continued looking into
Cornelius Green and Phillip
457
00:26:18,664 --> 00:26:24,146
Cutler, trying to get as much
evidence and a foundation laid,
458
00:26:24,147 --> 00:26:25,931
there was tips
that would come in.
459
00:26:25,932 --> 00:26:29,456
One of those was this woman who
came into the Homicide office
460
00:26:29,457 --> 00:26:31,458
and stated that
she saw on the news
461
00:26:31,459 --> 00:26:33,199
that this incident occurred.
462
00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:36,158
And then she said she was
involved with Cornelius
463
00:26:36,159 --> 00:26:38,639
for quite a while,
a couple years at least,
464
00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:41,337
and recently learned
he was juggling
465
00:26:41,338 --> 00:26:44,776
numerous romantic sexual
relationships at the same time.
466
00:26:44,777 --> 00:26:47,779
She said he was a
womanizer and certainly was
467
00:26:47,780 --> 00:26:50,129
another red flag for police.
468
00:26:50,130 --> 00:26:52,261
At that point,
after interviewing her,
469
00:26:52,262 --> 00:26:55,177
we'd received a call
from Cornelius Green.
470
00:26:55,178 --> 00:26:57,310
He said he had heard
out on the street
471
00:26:57,311 --> 00:27:00,095
that we were speaking to this
woman who he was involved
472
00:27:00,096 --> 00:27:02,924
in a relationship
with, and he was
473
00:27:02,925 --> 00:27:04,970
irritated, to say the least.
474
00:27:04,971 --> 00:27:08,364
He then went on and asked
what he could do to help us,
475
00:27:08,365 --> 00:27:10,018
so we offered him
the opportunity
476
00:27:10,019 --> 00:27:14,196
to provide his cellular
telephone, and oddly enough,
477
00:27:14,197 --> 00:27:17,243
he allowed us to download it.
478
00:27:17,244 --> 00:27:18,853
After receiving the
data information,
479
00:27:18,854 --> 00:27:22,422
we were able to obtain his
text messaging and some
480
00:27:22,423 --> 00:27:23,945
of his Google searches.
481
00:27:23,946 --> 00:27:29,298
And on March 20, 2016,
four days before the murder
482
00:27:29,299 --> 00:27:32,301
and prior to Phillip
Cutler coming into town,
483
00:27:32,302 --> 00:27:34,042
he had a telephonic
conversation
484
00:27:34,043 --> 00:27:36,349
with Phillip Cutler.
485
00:27:36,350 --> 00:27:39,134
He then reached out to
Ms. Peters via text.
486
00:27:39,135 --> 00:27:42,877
During that conversation, Ms.
Peters states that she's going
487
00:27:42,878 --> 00:27:45,575
to go to the ALDIs and
go grocery shopping,
488
00:27:45,576 --> 00:27:49,101
and Cornelius states,
"I will meet you there."
489
00:27:49,102 --> 00:27:52,800
He seemed adamant that, hey,
we'll go shopping together.
490
00:27:52,801 --> 00:27:54,497
It just seemed rather odd.
491
00:27:54,498 --> 00:27:56,412
She didn't seem like she
was asking him to come
492
00:27:56,413 --> 00:27:58,588
with her to the grocery store.
493
00:27:58,589 --> 00:28:01,200
We were able to obtain
the video surveillance
494
00:28:01,201 --> 00:28:03,376
inside the ALDIs,
495
00:28:03,377 --> 00:28:05,465
and we observed
Jocelyn Peters exiting
496
00:28:05,466 --> 00:28:08,381
the store with
Cornelius Green directly
497
00:28:08,382 --> 00:28:10,600
behind her, pushing the cart.
498
00:28:10,601 --> 00:28:13,865
And you could clearly see
a 10-pound bag of Russet
499
00:28:13,866 --> 00:28:15,649
potatoes sitting on there.
500
00:28:15,650 --> 00:28:18,347
Same brand that was found at
the crime scene on the kitchen
501
00:28:18,348 --> 00:28:20,001
table with one missing.
502
00:28:20,002 --> 00:28:23,396
I don't believe it was just
happenstance or coincidence.
503
00:28:23,397 --> 00:28:25,137
Now, there's no
doubt in our minds
504
00:28:25,138 --> 00:28:28,706
that that conversation he had
with Phillip Cutler on March
505
00:28:28,707 --> 00:28:32,535
20th prior to going grocery
shopping with Ms. Peters
506
00:28:32,536 --> 00:28:35,625
was him making sure that
there's some potatoes bought.
507
00:28:35,626 --> 00:28:38,106
It becomes very
apparent, how much
508
00:28:38,107 --> 00:28:41,414
thought process he was putting
into this before it happened.
509
00:28:41,415 --> 00:28:43,851
It was kind of shocking.
510
00:28:43,852 --> 00:28:45,418
She never saw this coming.
511
00:28:45,419 --> 00:28:48,377
She is literally purchasing
the tools that are going
512
00:28:48,378 --> 00:28:50,162
to be used in her own murder.
513
00:28:50,163 --> 00:28:52,251
That's important
because it did
514
00:28:52,252 --> 00:28:54,166
help us start to
paint the picture
515
00:28:54,167 --> 00:28:56,951
and see what was
happening just days prior
516
00:28:56,952 --> 00:28:58,648
to Ms. Peters being murdered.
517
00:28:58,649 --> 00:29:01,739
But it was
circumstantial evidence,
518
00:29:01,740 --> 00:29:05,830
and there was a tremendous
amount of other obstacles
519
00:29:05,831 --> 00:29:07,527
to overcome.
520
00:29:07,528 --> 00:29:11,661
First, there was no murder
weapon that was ever recovered.
521
00:29:11,662 --> 00:29:15,317
And second,
Cornelius Green has an alibi.
522
00:29:15,318 --> 00:29:19,757
So we need to essentially prove
he planned a way for Mr. Cutler
523
00:29:19,758 --> 00:29:22,760
to come into town to
kill Jocelyn Peters.
524
00:29:22,761 --> 00:29:25,023
So next, we obtained
a search warrant
525
00:29:25,024 --> 00:29:27,852
and received the tracking
history from Phillip
526
00:29:27,853 --> 00:29:29,070
Cutler's telephone.
527
00:29:29,071 --> 00:29:31,116
It showed Phillip
Cutler in the area
528
00:29:31,117 --> 00:29:34,684
of Jocelyn Peters's apartment
the night she was murdered.
529
00:29:34,685 --> 00:29:38,253
And then it showed
Cutler traveling directly
530
00:29:38,254 --> 00:29:42,040
down to North Riverfront
Park on the far
531
00:29:42,041 --> 00:29:43,868
north end of the city.
532
00:29:43,869 --> 00:29:47,393
Why this stood out to us is
because North Riverfront Park
533
00:29:47,394 --> 00:29:49,308
borders the Mississippi River.
534
00:29:49,309 --> 00:29:51,789
Cutler responded there
after speaking with Green
535
00:29:51,790 --> 00:29:56,054
and spent eight minutes there
the morning after the murder.
536
00:29:56,055 --> 00:29:59,057
We believe he discarded
the murder weapon
537
00:29:59,058 --> 00:30:00,885
in the Mississippi River.
538
00:30:00,886 --> 00:30:03,496
The river was searched,
but unless you knew
539
00:30:03,497 --> 00:30:07,021
exactly where it was, the
chances of it still being there
540
00:30:07,022 --> 00:30:08,327
are slim.
541
00:30:08,328 --> 00:30:10,895
So the murder weapon
was never found.
542
00:30:10,896 --> 00:30:13,549
It was a very
difficult case to make.
543
00:30:13,550 --> 00:30:15,464
That's why the
detectives kept digging
544
00:30:15,465 --> 00:30:17,249
and digging and digging.
545
00:30:17,250 --> 00:30:20,034
While we were looking for
something that proved
546
00:30:20,035 --> 00:30:23,124
that they both worked together
and planned a way to kill Ms.
547
00:30:23,125 --> 00:30:26,475
Peters, we were able to
identify some of the most
548
00:30:26,476 --> 00:30:29,565
prevalent Google
searches on Green's phone
549
00:30:29,566 --> 00:30:31,916
prior to the murder
of Ms. Peters.
550
00:30:31,917 --> 00:30:33,787
One of the first
patterns we observed
551
00:30:33,788 --> 00:30:37,443
was that there were Google
searches about how to mask
552
00:30:37,444 --> 00:30:39,749
the taste of an abortion pill.
553
00:30:39,750 --> 00:30:43,318
This was early on in the
pregnancy, just a few weeks,
554
00:30:43,319 --> 00:30:46,234
and he had started
Googling, can I crush
555
00:30:46,235 --> 00:30:49,716
up pills to end a pregnancy?
556
00:30:49,717 --> 00:30:52,937
It strongly suggested
that Cornelius Green
557
00:30:52,938 --> 00:30:55,069
was trying to kill the
baby without Jocelyn
558
00:30:55,070 --> 00:30:56,505
Peters' knowledge.
559
00:30:56,506 --> 00:30:59,160
I believe the baby
that Jocelyn Peters was
560
00:30:59,161 --> 00:31:01,728
carrying became an obstacle.
561
00:31:01,729 --> 00:31:03,469
And if he could get
rid of the pregnancy,
562
00:31:03,470 --> 00:31:05,993
then he could continue to
have Jocelyn Peters as a toy
563
00:31:05,994 --> 00:31:09,518
to play with, along with
the other five or six women,
564
00:31:09,519 --> 00:31:11,564
and continue to live
life in exactly the way
565
00:31:11,565 --> 00:31:13,218
that he wanted to.
566
00:31:13,219 --> 00:31:15,829
As we continued looking
into his Google searches,
567
00:31:15,830 --> 00:31:18,310
it seemed that this
apparently was not working.
568
00:31:18,311 --> 00:31:21,269
One of Green's searches was
still seeing a heartbeat
569
00:31:21,270 --> 00:31:23,793
after taking an abortion pill.
570
00:31:23,794 --> 00:31:25,752
And all of these
Google searches
571
00:31:25,753 --> 00:31:29,538
happened several months prior
to Ms. Peters being murdered.
572
00:31:29,539 --> 00:31:32,977
He obviously was
searching for this method
573
00:31:32,978 --> 00:31:36,806
to get rid of the child, and
when that didn't work out,
574
00:31:36,807 --> 00:31:40,245
it wasn't long after that
Cornelius decides to
575
00:31:40,246 --> 00:31:41,856
segue into the murder business.
576
00:31:50,169 --> 00:31:52,692
We identified
Cornelius Green
577
00:31:52,693 --> 00:31:55,303
researching abortion pills,
578
00:31:55,304 --> 00:31:58,524
researching ways
to induce an abortion.
579
00:31:58,525 --> 00:32:01,657
Cornelius made some
fairly sinister efforts
580
00:32:01,658 --> 00:32:04,269
to get rid of this pregnancy.
581
00:32:04,270 --> 00:32:07,446
And when that didn't work,
he arrived at the conclusion
582
00:32:07,447 --> 00:32:10,101
that Jocelyn Peters
was a liability
583
00:32:10,102 --> 00:32:13,626
that he needed to get rid of.
584
00:32:13,627 --> 00:32:16,977
That starts to build
the motive and the means
585
00:32:16,978 --> 00:32:19,893
and the method of how
this murder occurred.
586
00:32:19,894 --> 00:32:23,462
We further investigated
Cornelius's cell phone data,
587
00:32:23,463 --> 00:32:27,031
and on February 28th Cornelius
Green and Phillip Cutler
588
00:32:27,032 --> 00:32:30,599
had a conversation via
text, where Green had said,
589
00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:32,645
are you going to be
coming into town?
590
00:32:32,646 --> 00:32:35,561
Cutler responds in the
affirmative and asks, when?
591
00:32:35,562 --> 00:32:38,477
He says, March 20th.
592
00:32:38,478 --> 00:32:40,522
And Cutler says, OK.
593
00:32:40,523 --> 00:32:43,221
Don't forget to
send the package.
594
00:32:43,222 --> 00:32:45,179
When I read it, I
immediately thought,
595
00:32:45,180 --> 00:32:51,055
there was something of value
sent from Green to Mr. Cutler.
596
00:32:51,056 --> 00:32:54,319
And I was able to reach
out to the post office.
597
00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:56,190
There's a record
of a transaction,
598
00:32:56,191 --> 00:32:59,759
where on March the 7th, just
days prior to the murder,
599
00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:04,024
he sent a package to
Phillip Cutler in Oklahoma.
600
00:33:06,462 --> 00:33:09,290
Which the police assume
is the money to pay
601
00:33:09,291 --> 00:33:11,814
him to kill Jocelyn Peters.
602
00:33:11,815 --> 00:33:15,253
This was obviously
planning and premeditation
603
00:33:15,254 --> 00:33:17,472
on both Green and
Cutler's part,
604
00:33:17,473 --> 00:33:20,649
with relation to
Ms. Peters' murder.
605
00:33:20,650 --> 00:33:23,130
But at this point,
Green had obtained
606
00:33:23,131 --> 00:33:25,785
an attorney so we
could not bring him
607
00:33:25,786 --> 00:33:26,960
in and speak with him again.
608
00:33:31,226 --> 00:33:34,881
It was extremely challenging
to keep moving forward.
609
00:33:34,882 --> 00:33:38,276
But then we'd received a call
from the dance instructor
610
00:33:38,277 --> 00:33:41,235
of Carr Lane School,
where Cornelius Green
611
00:33:41,236 --> 00:33:43,368
was the principal.
612
00:33:43,369 --> 00:33:46,545
We had learned
approximately $2,700 had been
613
00:33:46,546 --> 00:33:51,289
stolen from Carr Lane School's
dance program a few weeks prior
614
00:33:51,290 --> 00:33:52,986
to the murder of Ms. Peters.
615
00:33:55,511 --> 00:33:59,688
She said, on March 3rd she
observed Cornelius Green
616
00:33:59,689 --> 00:34:04,215
in the area where the money had
been taken and believed that he
617
00:34:04,216 --> 00:34:06,565
was, no doubt, involved.
618
00:34:06,566 --> 00:34:09,089
When asked about why
it wasn't reported,
619
00:34:09,090 --> 00:34:12,092
she stated that she
was extremely concerned
620
00:34:12,093 --> 00:34:14,529
with repercussions
because he wielded
621
00:34:14,530 --> 00:34:17,097
a certain amount of
authority over the school
622
00:34:17,098 --> 00:34:19,143
being the principal.
623
00:34:19,144 --> 00:34:21,580
We believe that
$2,700 was the payment
624
00:34:21,581 --> 00:34:25,627
Cornelius Green sent to Phillip
Cutler to kill Jocelyn Peters.
625
00:34:28,762 --> 00:34:31,764
As you progress through the
investigation, the amount
626
00:34:31,765 --> 00:34:35,289
of circumstantial evidence
that was obtained,
627
00:34:35,290 --> 00:34:38,118
it gave us the timeline,
the motive, and the method
628
00:34:38,119 --> 00:34:41,208
of how this murder occurred.
629
00:34:41,209 --> 00:34:42,949
There's no question
that this was
630
00:34:42,950 --> 00:34:47,693
an elaborate, premeditated plan
to end Jocelyn Peters' life
631
00:34:47,694 --> 00:34:51,436
and get rid of the baby that
Jocelyn Peters was carrying.
632
00:34:55,876 --> 00:35:00,227
In August of 2015,
Ms. Peters became pregnant.
633
00:35:00,228 --> 00:35:02,577
Then, just a few
weeks in the pregnancy,
634
00:35:02,578 --> 00:35:05,189
Cornelius Green
started searching
635
00:35:05,190 --> 00:35:06,973
ways to end a pregnancy.
636
00:35:09,194 --> 00:35:11,282
Cornelius spent months
trying to poison
637
00:35:11,283 --> 00:35:12,805
or kill the baby.
638
00:35:12,806 --> 00:35:15,721
And when that didn't
work, on February 28th
639
00:35:15,722 --> 00:35:18,202
Cornelius Green arranges
for Phillip Cutler
640
00:35:18,203 --> 00:35:20,160
to be the triggerman.
641
00:35:20,161 --> 00:35:22,423
On March the 3rd,
he stole money
642
00:35:22,424 --> 00:35:25,644
from Carr Lane Middle School.
643
00:35:25,645 --> 00:35:29,430
On March 8th, Cornelius
Green sent Phillip Cutler
644
00:35:29,431 --> 00:35:31,911
the money to murder Jocelyn.
645
00:35:31,912 --> 00:35:35,697
On March 14th through
the 18th, Cornelius
646
00:35:35,698 --> 00:35:40,746
takes Jocelyn and her family
on a cruise for her birthday.
647
00:35:40,747 --> 00:35:43,836
We believe he was trying
to throw them off.
648
00:35:43,837 --> 00:35:45,968
Then March 20th Cornelius
Green
649
00:35:45,969 --> 00:35:47,666
accompanied Jocelyn Peters
650
00:35:47,667 --> 00:35:49,320
to the grocery
store, where they
651
00:35:49,321 --> 00:35:51,800
purchased the Russet potatoes.
652
00:35:51,801 --> 00:35:54,847
And then he left them
inside of the apartment
653
00:35:54,848 --> 00:35:56,370
for Mr. Cutler.
654
00:35:56,371 --> 00:36:00,331
On March 21th, Phillip
Cutler travels from Oklahoma
655
00:36:00,332 --> 00:36:02,202
to Saint Louis, Missouri.
656
00:36:02,203 --> 00:36:05,553
Police believe the next
day, Cornelius hands Phillip
657
00:36:05,554 --> 00:36:09,035
Cutler his .38-caliber
gun and the keys
658
00:36:09,036 --> 00:36:10,689
to Jocelyn's apartment.
659
00:36:10,690 --> 00:36:14,867
Then Cornelius Green
takes an Amtrak to Chicago,
660
00:36:14,868 --> 00:36:17,652
as an alibi for himself.
661
00:36:17,653 --> 00:36:19,611
In the middle of the
night, Phillip Cutler
662
00:36:19,612 --> 00:36:23,702
goes into Jocelyn
Peter's apartment.
663
00:36:23,703 --> 00:36:27,532
He uses a potato as
a silencer, shoots
664
00:36:27,533 --> 00:36:31,536
her one time in the head, and
kills her and her unborn child.
665
00:36:33,495 --> 00:36:38,717
Next, Cornelius Green takes
an Amtrak back to Saint Louis.
666
00:36:38,718 --> 00:36:41,850
As he's on the
train, Cornelius starts
667
00:36:41,851 --> 00:36:43,635
calling Jocelyn repeatedly.
668
00:36:43,636 --> 00:36:46,986
It was all just part of the
ruse to make it look like he
669
00:36:46,987 --> 00:36:48,901
was concerned about her.
670
00:36:48,902 --> 00:36:53,819
And then lastly, Cornelius
Green goes to her apartment
671
00:36:53,820 --> 00:36:58,737
and calls 911 to report
the death of Jocelyn Peters.
672
00:37:00,957 --> 00:37:04,786
The level of planning
that went on for this case
673
00:37:04,787 --> 00:37:06,223
was shocking.
674
00:37:06,224 --> 00:37:08,007
That's his girlfriend.
675
00:37:08,008 --> 00:37:11,228
He's going to be the father of
the child that she's carrying.
676
00:37:11,229 --> 00:37:13,752
This was a cold-blooded,
horrific crime.
677
00:37:13,753 --> 00:37:16,624
I don't know if Cornelius
Green was a psychopath,
678
00:37:16,625 --> 00:37:18,757
but he should be in the
psychology textbooks,
679
00:37:18,758 --> 00:37:20,628
because the cognitive
sophistication
680
00:37:20,629 --> 00:37:23,936
that it would take to
keep all of that separate,
681
00:37:23,937 --> 00:37:27,505
you have to be adept at
compartmentalizing your life.
682
00:37:27,506 --> 00:37:29,768
At that point, we knew that
we needed to arrest
683
00:37:29,769 --> 00:37:33,293
both Cutler and Green
for the murder of Jocelyn
684
00:37:33,294 --> 00:37:34,642
Peters and her unborn child.
685
00:37:39,300 --> 00:37:42,041
At this point,
we have the abortion
686
00:37:42,042 --> 00:37:44,522
search history with Green.
687
00:37:44,523 --> 00:37:46,654
We have Cutler's
cell phone data
688
00:37:46,655 --> 00:37:51,355
that puts him at the location
of the victim's residence.
689
00:37:51,356 --> 00:37:54,314
We have the video
surveillance of the vehicle
690
00:37:54,315 --> 00:37:56,229
that Phillip Cutler
was in possession
691
00:37:56,230 --> 00:37:59,188
of turning onto the victim's
street the night of the murder.
692
00:37:59,189 --> 00:38:02,801
So we were able to secure
indictments against Mr. Cutler
693
00:38:02,802 --> 00:38:05,978
and Mr. Green for
conspiracy to commit murder
694
00:38:05,979 --> 00:38:07,893
and committing murder-for-hire.
695
00:38:07,894 --> 00:38:09,895
Cornelius is arrested first.
696
00:38:09,896 --> 00:38:12,158
Obviously, we wanted
to get an opportunity
697
00:38:12,159 --> 00:38:14,378
to try and talk to him,
but he doesn't make
698
00:38:14,379 --> 00:38:17,076
any statements at that time.
699
00:38:17,077 --> 00:38:20,209
And then, we traveled
to Muskogee, Oklahoma,
700
00:38:20,210 --> 00:38:22,908
and placed Phillip
Cutler under arrest
701
00:38:22,909 --> 00:38:26,085
to be transported back
to Saint Louis, Missouri.
702
00:38:26,086 --> 00:38:28,000
And in our
post-arrest interview,
703
00:38:28,001 --> 00:38:30,829
he denied having anything
to do with the murder
704
00:38:30,830 --> 00:38:33,135
of Jocelyn Peters.
705
00:38:38,141 --> 00:38:40,752
When they called and told me
706
00:38:40,753 --> 00:38:43,407
they had arrested
both of them,
707
00:38:43,408 --> 00:38:46,584
I was, pretty much, in shock.
708
00:38:46,585 --> 00:38:51,110
I thought Cornelius
was a good guy.
709
00:38:51,111 --> 00:38:53,286
I was out to dinner
with our school counselor,
710
00:38:53,287 --> 00:38:57,769
and it came across the
news that he was arrested.
711
00:38:57,770 --> 00:39:01,033
And we just cried together.
712
00:39:01,034 --> 00:39:03,296
That was a life-changing
day because it had taken
713
00:39:03,297 --> 00:39:05,820
so many months,
and it finally had happened,
714
00:39:05,821 --> 00:39:08,910
and it was just
a rush of emotion.
715
00:39:08,911 --> 00:39:11,304
I was glad that
it finally happened,
716
00:39:11,305 --> 00:39:14,786
but, you know, I just wanted my
daughter and my
717
00:39:14,787 --> 00:39:19,312
granddaughter back.
718
00:39:21,881 --> 00:39:25,231
This is certainly
a chilling crime.
719
00:39:25,232 --> 00:39:27,668
A father and a
principal at the school
720
00:39:27,669 --> 00:39:30,541
thought out a
murder-for-hire plot.
721
00:39:30,542 --> 00:39:33,500
But, unfortunately,
the COVID pandemic
722
00:39:33,501 --> 00:39:38,157
really threw a wrench into
the criminal justice system.
723
00:39:38,158 --> 00:39:40,551
Eight years go by before
we actually go to trial.
724
00:39:40,552 --> 00:39:44,685
And prior to the trial date,
Cornelius Green accepted
725
00:39:44,686 --> 00:39:47,471
a plea to plead guilty.
726
00:39:47,472 --> 00:39:51,475
Cornelius agrees to
life, with no parole.
727
00:39:51,476 --> 00:39:55,783
So the death penalty was
off the table at this point,
728
00:39:55,784 --> 00:40:00,092
but Phillip Cutler takes
it to a jury trial.
729
00:40:00,093 --> 00:40:02,094
It was shocking
that he wanted
730
00:40:02,095 --> 00:40:08,230
a trial, given the mountain of
evidence there was against him.
731
00:40:08,231 --> 00:40:10,755
And how could you
put this family
732
00:40:10,756 --> 00:40:12,932
through reliving all of this?
733
00:40:15,804 --> 00:40:17,762
From the beginning
of the trial,
734
00:40:17,763 --> 00:40:19,981
there were members
of Jocelyn's family
735
00:40:19,982 --> 00:40:24,769
and friends and coworkers
that were in the courtroom.
736
00:40:24,770 --> 00:40:26,640
And there was
really some outrage.
737
00:40:26,641 --> 00:40:29,513
How dare you?
738
00:40:29,514 --> 00:40:30,949
I had to be there.
739
00:40:30,950 --> 00:40:33,778
I wanted to see him.
740
00:40:33,779 --> 00:40:37,390
I wanted to look at him,
and I wanted him to know
741
00:40:37,391 --> 00:40:39,827
that I know what you did.
742
00:40:39,828 --> 00:40:41,481
I was mad.
743
00:40:41,482 --> 00:40:46,486
He shot my baby in the
face, right through the eye.
744
00:40:46,487 --> 00:40:49,968
I had just wanted to scream.
745
00:40:49,969 --> 00:40:52,361
We look at this
case, and you see
746
00:40:52,362 --> 00:40:54,973
the troubling
sophistication of it.
747
00:40:54,974 --> 00:40:58,237
Hey, I'll go to the store
and buy a sack of potatoes,
748
00:40:58,238 --> 00:41:01,153
and the potatoes will
be in the apartment.
749
00:41:01,154 --> 00:41:03,721
Then when you get there,
all you have to do
750
00:41:03,722 --> 00:41:05,984
is grab one and use it.
751
00:41:05,985 --> 00:41:10,554
This was the most
thought-out, premeditated
752
00:41:10,555 --> 00:41:12,773
crime that I had covered.
753
00:41:12,774 --> 00:41:16,081
And, Phillip Cutler, any
point in time along the way,
754
00:41:16,082 --> 00:41:18,736
easily could have
backed out and no one
755
00:41:18,737 --> 00:41:19,824
would have ever known.
756
00:41:19,825 --> 00:41:22,653
And he just didn't.
757
00:41:22,654 --> 00:41:24,959
Phillip Cutler
was found guilty
758
00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:29,094
and was sentenced to two
consecutive life terms
759
00:41:29,095 --> 00:41:32,576
in prison without
parole for both
760
00:41:32,577 --> 00:41:35,579
the murder of Jocelyn Peters
and her unborn child,
761
00:41:35,580 --> 00:41:37,581
Micah Leigh.
762
00:41:37,582 --> 00:41:39,800
There was just this
huge sense of relief.
763
00:41:39,801 --> 00:41:43,500
He is going to pay
for what he did.
764
00:41:43,501 --> 00:41:45,589
There's a special
place in hell for him.
765
00:41:51,204 --> 00:41:55,642
The hole in my
heart is still there.
766
00:41:55,643 --> 00:42:01,039
It's not a day that I
don't think about Jocelyn.
767
00:42:01,040 --> 00:42:03,476
I can be driving
down the street
768
00:42:03,477 --> 00:42:06,697
and see something that
reminds me of her.
769
00:42:06,698 --> 00:42:12,180
She had a smile and a
laugh that was contagious.
770
00:42:12,181 --> 00:42:15,619
She was all about helping
kids and the community.
771
00:42:15,620 --> 00:42:19,666
So everybody in the family,
we don't mind giving a helping
772
00:42:19,667 --> 00:42:22,800
hand to people that need it.
773
00:42:22,801 --> 00:42:26,630
That's how we keep
her memory alive.