A former Missouri principal learned his fate after admitting he hired his friend to kill his pregnant girlfriend in 2016 with money stolen from a St. Louis middle school.

Federal prosecutors announced in a press release that Cornelius Green, a former principal at Carr Lane Visual and Performing Arts Middle School, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and one count of murder-for-hire and sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison.

Green’s two consecutive life sentences mean that he will have to wait at least 50 years to be considered for parole.

His sentence came after authorities said that he hired his friend, 46-year-old Phillip Cutler, to kill his girlfriend, 30-year-old Jocelyn Peters, and her unborn child, Micah Leigh. 

Cutler was charged with the same sentence this week.

FORMER MISSOURI SCHOOL PRINCIPAL ADMITS HIRING HITMAN TO KILL PREGNANT TEACHER

Green, who was married at the time, previously admitted to hiring his friend to kill Peters, who was seven months pregnant at the time.

Federal prosecutors said that Green and Cutler planned the murder in a series of phone calls.

Authorities said that Green sent Cutler a UPS package in March 2021 with $2,500 to pay for the horrific murder of his pregnant girlfriend.

Green had Peters buy potatoes days before her own murder, prosecutors said. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Missouri)

The former principal admitted he used stolen funds stolen from the school to finance the murder-for-hire.

“He literally stole from children to pay for killing his own child,” said Dr. Nicole Conaway, the principal of Mann Elementary.

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Authorities said that Green took a train trip to Chicago to establish his alibi for the murder and gave Cutler the keys to his Kia Optima and Peters’ apartment. 

Cutler arrived at Peters’ apartment and let himself inside with the keys provided and shot her, authorities said. Prosecutors said that he used a potato as a silencer.

Peters was sitting at the kitchen table and preparing baby shower invitations at the time of her murder — which was funded by her boyfriend.

Third grade teacher Jocelyn Peters was remembered as “someone who cared deeply about children,” People reported. She was shot dead as she slept in the early hours of March 24.  (Jocelyn Peters on Facebook)

After Cutler confirmed that Jocelyn and the baby had been killed, Green bought a return train ticket. 

When Green got back to St. Louis, he first attempted to get Peters’ mother to “check on her,” knowing what she would find, authorities said.

“The depravity of asking a mother to go find Jocelyn’s body, knowing she was dead, can’t be matched,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker said during Tuesday’s hearing.

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Authorities said that Green eventually went to Peters’ apartment and feigned surprise when he called 911 to report her death.

“He pretended he had no knowledge of the circumstances leading to the deaths, lying to police and getting Cutler and others to conceal evidence,” federal prosecutors said. “Cutler was detained for questioning that same night, after he attempted to retrieve the Kia Optima from the crime scene at Green’s direction.”

Phillip Cutler was Green’s childhood friend. Prosecutors say Green gave him keys to Peters’ apartment, where he shot her.  (St. Louis City Justice Center)

In February, Green and Cutler pleaded guilty in the murder of Peters and her baby.

Legally, Green was married to another woman at the time of the killing and involved in several other romantic relationships, authorities said.

With her relationship with Green, Peters had miscarried before and terminated one pregnancy at his urging.

Prosecutors also alleged that Green was “researching ways to secretly poison” her by crushing pills and hiding them in oatmeal or yogurt.

When the poisoning failed, Green turned to his friend to plot the death of his girlfriend and child, police said.

Peters’ cousin, Dedra Peters, said that her death left the “family empty and heartbroken.”

“Jocelyn had a light around her at all times,” she said. “[Jocelyn] touched the heart of anyone she came in contact with.”

Peters’ mother, Lacey Peters, said Green was supposed to be Peters’ protector but became her executioner. 

“All she ever did was love him,” Lacey Peters said, adding, “and she loved that baby so much.”

DETROIT LAKES

— The Detroit Lakes Post 15 legion baseball team welcomed East Grand Forks Post 157 to Washington Ballpark for a Wednesday night doubleheader.

Post 157 dominated the series from start to finish as they took down Detroit Lakes 12-1 in Game 1 and 15-2 in the second contest.

EGF clicked on all cylinders with lights-out pitching and red-hot bats in both games. Detroit Lakes struggled at the plate throughout the night tallying eight hits combined.

“I think we just showed that we were lacking the pitching tonight,” Detroit Lakes co-head coach Zack Oistad said. “When you have seven games in a week, your pitching can run dry at times. We have two more games on Friday so we were stretched thin tonight. The bats didn’t show up either so we have some things to work on.”

Post 15 started off the opening game with a bang as Noah Rieber blasted a solo home run to dead-center field to take a 1-0 lead. Chaz Eckhoff started on the mound for Detroit Lakes. He threw four and one-third innings, allowed nine runs on nine hits, and struck out four batters.

EGF ace Carson McDonald threw a complete game for Post 157. He was efficient on the mound as he threw 87 pitches and 61 were called for strikes. McDonald allowed one run on four hits and fanned 11 batters.

“Their pitching was excellent tonight,” Oistad said. “We got down a bit and lost any momentum that we had. They threw strikes and their defense made all of the plays when we made contact.”

Alex Spect came in for relief and threw two and two-third innings. He allowed three runs on four hits and struck out one batter. Connor Beswick, Kael McArthur, Eckhoff, and Rieber all recorded a hit and Rieber had the lone RBI.

In Game 2, EGF got out to an early lead. Henry Peeters started on the mound for Detroit Lakes and struggled with his control as he walked seven batters. EGF scored two runs in the opening inning. They scored nine runs on four hits in the top of the second to take an 11-0 lead. EGF added a run in the third and three runs in the fourth to take a 15-0 lead. Detroit Lakes scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth to trail 15-2.

“We just want the guys to have fun at the end of the day,” Oistad said. “The game of baseball is meant to be fun and we want to get better for the future. I want them to go up to the plate and not watch strike three go by. I want them to be all right with their approach and just shake off the bad at-bats. Stay confident in themselves and do what they’ve been doing for a long time.”

GAME 1: EAST GRAND FORKS 12 DETROIT LAKES 1

EGF – 0 0 2 5 2 1 2 X X – 12

DL – 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 1

DETROIT LAKES BATTING – E. Rieber: 0-3; Eckhoff: 1-2; Spect: 0-1; N. Rieber: 1-3, RBI, R; Martin: 0-3; Beswick: 1-3; Wilson: 0-2, BB; Hansen: 0-3; McArthur: 1-2; Bartnes: 0-2

WP: McDonald (EGF); LP: Eckhoff: DL)

GAME 2: EAST GRAND FORKS 15 DETROIT LAKES 2

EGF – 2 9 1 3 0 X X – 15

DL – 0 0 0 2 0 X X – 2

DETROIT LAKES BATTING – N. Rieber: 1-3; McArthur: 1-2; Erickson: 0-1; Eckhoff: 0-2, BB; Wilson: 0-1, 2BB; Hansen: 0-3; Martin: 1-1, R, BB; E. Rieber: 1-3; Peeters: 0-1; Spect: 0-1; Bartnes: 0-1, R, BB

WP: Stassen (EGF); LP: McArthur (DL)

Cooper Kanthak is a sports reporter for the Detroit Lakes Tribune, Perham Focus and Wadena Pioneer Journal. Cooper graduated from South Dakota State University with a degree in journalism and minored in digital and social media. He is originally from Pipestone, Minnesota, and has a passion for all things sports. You can reach Cooper at ckanthak@forumcomm.com.

In the first round of the 2024 NBA draft, the Milwaukee Bucks selected guard AJ Johnson from the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League in Australia.

Johnson, 19, averaged 2.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists on 37% shooting from the field in 26 games last season.

Bucks general manager Jon Horst labeled Johnson as a “player with great athleticism and speed,” but also admitted that Johnson needed to build upon his frame.

The Fresno, California native is listed at 6-feet-5 and 167 pounds. Horst drew comparisons between Johnson and former Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings in terms of size and speed as a young player.

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Horst also indicated that Johnson may take some time to develop, rather than help right away.

“I’m not going to put a limit or a ceiling on someone,” he said. “Maybe he’ll play a lot this year, maybe he won’t. If he did, he would be the first player at his age and his frame to play a lot, even on a good team.”

Were the Bucks right to select Johnson, a player with the athleticism Milwaukee lacks, but may take some years to impact the roster? Or should they have gone with a more pro-ready prospect who could help right away? Let us know in the poll below.

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