Cornelius M. Green, a 42-year-old former middle school principal, was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in federal prison for orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot that led to the deaths of 30-year-old schoolteacher Jocelyn Peters and her unborn child, Micah Leigh. The sentencing took place on June 25, 2024, in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis, Missouri.
Green, who was married at the time, had been romantically involved with Peters, who was more than seven months pregnant with his child. He hired his longtime friend, Phillip J. Cutler, to carry out the murder. Green embezzled $2,500 from a fundraising event at Carr Lane Visual and Performing Arts Middle School, where both he and Jocelyn Peters were employed, to compensate Cutler for the murder. The funds were sent to Cutler via UPS, with the middle school as the return address.
On March 24, 2016, Cutler drove Green’s car to Peters’ apartment on West Pine Boulevard in St. Louis. Using keys provided by Green, Cutler entered the apartment and shot Peters in the head while she was in bed. He used a potato as a makeshift silencer to muffle the sound of the gunshot. Prosecutors revealed that Green had even ensured there would be potatoes in the apartment by shopping with Peters days before the murder.
To create an alibi, Green took an Amtrak train to Chicago on the day of the murder, leaving Cutler with his car and the keys to Peters’ apartment. After the murder, Green contacted Peters’ mother, asking her to check on her daughter, knowing full well what she would find. “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 the sentencing hearing.
The investigation revealed that Green had initially tried to end Peters’ pregnancy by secretly poisoning her. When that plan failed, he turned to murder. Peters had been unaware that Green was still married and involved with several other women. Federal prosecutors noted that Peters did not know about Green’s attempts to poison her.
Several people addressed the court at the sentencing, expressing their grief and outrage. Peters’ mother expressed that Green, who was supposed to be a guardian, turned into her daughter’s killer. “All she ever did was love him,” she remarked, emphasizing that Peters “loved that baby so much.”
Dr. Nicole Conaway, the principal of Mann Elementary School, where Peters taught, also spoke at the hearing. She highlighted the impact of Peters’ death on her students and colleagues. “He literally stole from children to pay for killing his own child,” Conaway said. “I will never forget the pain in their eyes. This trauma will follow them for the rest of their lives.”
Green pleaded guilty in February to one count each of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire. Cutler, who was found guilty of the same charges, also received two consecutive life sentences. Both men are sentenced to spend the remainder of their lives in federal prison.
The aftermath of the crime left a lasting impact on Peters’ family and the school community. “Jocelyn had a light around her at all times,” said Dedra Peters, Jocelyn’s cousin. “She made a lasting impression on everyone she met.” Peters’ passing has left her family feeling “empty and heartbroken.”
