A former Missouri principal, Cornelius Green, has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison after admitting to hiring his friend to kill his pregnant girlfriend in 2016. Green, who was the principal at Carr Lane Visual and Performing Arts Middle School in St. Louis, used stolen funds from the school to finance the murder-for-hire plot.
Green's girlfriend, Jocelyn Peters, who was seven months pregnant at the time, was tragically killed by Green's friend, Phillip Cutler, who was also charged and sentenced to the same punishment. Cutler used a silencer made from a potato to shoot Peters while she was sitting at her kitchen table preparing baby shower invitations.
Authorities revealed that Green planned the murder with Cutler through a series of phone calls and even sent him money in a UPS package to carry out the heinous act. Green went as far as taking a train trip to Chicago to establish an alibi for the murder and provided Cutler with the keys to Peters' apartment.
After Peters' death, Green attempted to cover up his involvement by feigning ignorance and even tried to get Peters' mother to discover the crime scene. Prosecutors also alleged that Green had previously researched ways to poison Peters before resorting to the murder-for-hire scheme.
Peters' family expressed their devastation over her tragic death, describing her as a loving and kind-hearted individual. Her cousin, Dedra Peters, remembered Jocelyn as someone who brought light to everyone around her, while her mother, Lacey Peters, lamented the betrayal by Green, who was supposed to protect Jocelyn but instead became her executioner.
The sentencing of Cornelius Green serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of domestic violence and the lengths to which individuals may go to harm their partners. The case highlights the importance of recognizing and addressing signs of abuse in relationships to prevent such tragic outcomes in the future.
