Phillip J. Cutler, Murder-For-Hire, Missouri 2024

A horrific crime shook the St. Louis community in 2016 when 31-year-old Jocelyn Peters was brutally murdered in her apartment. The killer, Phillip J. Cutler, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and the murder-for-hire of Peters and her unborn child, Micah Leigh.

According to investigators, Cutler was enlisted by his longtime friend, Cornelius M. Green, to commit the murders. Green, 42, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty on February 28, 2024, to the same charges.

Prosecutors proved to jurors that Cutler was hired by Green to kill Peters, who was 31 weeks pregnant with Green's child. Green admitted during his plea that he used cash stolen from Carr Lane Middle School, where he was principal, to pay Cutler.

The murder took place on March 24, 2016. Cutler shot Peters in the eye using a potato as a silencer. The next morning, Cutler confirmed to Green that Jocelyn and the baby had been killed. Following their conversation, Green bought his return train ticket, and Cutler then went to North Riverfront Park to dispose of evidence.

Cutler was detained for questioning that same night after attempting to retrieve the Kia Optima from the crime scene. When told he was being detained, Cutler ate two pieces of paper from a notebook in his pocket.

Green is scheduled to be sentenced on June 5 and faces a sentence of life in prison. As part of the plea, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office has agreed to dismiss their case against Green for the murders if he is sentenced to life in federal prison. Cutler is scheduled to be sentenced on June 18 and faces life in prison on each charge.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case, which is being prosecuted in cooperation with the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany Becker and Zachary Bluestone are prosecuting the case.

In this case, the defendant's real full name is Phillip J. Cutler, and he faces life in prison on each charge. The exact criminal charges are conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and the murder-for-hire of Jocelyn Peters and her unborn child. The city and state are St. Louis, Missouri. The exact date of the crime is March 24, 2016, and the sentencing date is June 18, 2024. The sentence or outcome is life in prison on each charge.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmo/pr/oklahoma-man-convicted-murder-hire-st-louis-schoolteacher-0