Cornelius M. Green, 42, a former middle school principal, was handed two life sentences in federal prison for a murder-for-hire scheme that resulted in the death of 30-year-old teacher Jocelyn Peters and her unborn child, Micah Leigh. The sentencing occurred on June 25, 2024 in the Federal District Court of St. Louis, Missouri.
Despite being married, Green was entangled romantically with Peters, who was seven months into her pregnancy carrying his child. Green enlisted his old friend, Phillip J. Cutler, for the murder and used $2,500, embezzled from a fundraiser at Carr Lane Visual and Performing Arts Middle School where he worked, to pay Cutler. This money was transferred to Cutler via UPS, using the school as the return address.
Cutler, on March 24, 2016, drove Green’s car to Peters’ residence on West Pine Boulevard, St. Louis. With keys given by Green, he entered the apartment and shot Peters in the head while she was sleeping. He used a potato as a makeshift silencer for the gunshot. It was disclosed by prosecutors that Green had made sure there were potatoes in the apartment by shopping with Peters just days before the killing.
Green had taken an Amtrak train to Chicago on the day of the murder to create an alibi, leaving his car and Peters’ apartment keys with Cutler. After the murder, Green called Peters’ mother and asked her to check on Peters, fully aware of what she would discover. “The depravity of asking a mother to go find Jocelyn’s body, knowing she was dead, can’t be matched,” noted Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker during the sentencing hearing.
An investigation into the case revealed that Green had initially tried to end Peters’ pregnancy by secretly poisoning her. After this attempt failed, he resorted to murder. Peters was unaware that Green was still married and was involved with several other women. Federal prosecutors also stated that Peters was oblivious to Green’s attempts to poison her.
At the sentencing, several individuals addressed the court, expressing their grief and shock. Peters’ mother spoke of Green, who should have been a protector, becoming her daughter’s killer. She stated that Peters had deeply loved him, adding that Peters “loved that baby so much.”
Dr. Nicole Conaway, the principal of Mann Elementary School where Peters taught there, highlighted the impact of Peters’ death on her students and coworkers at the hearing. “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 pled guilty in February to one count each of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire. Cutler, found guilty of the same charges, also received two consecutive life sentences. Both men will spend the rest of their lives in federal prison.
The crime’s aftermath has had a profound effect on Peters’ family and the school community. “Jocelyn had a light around her at all times,” Dedra Peters, Jocelyn’s cousin, said. “She made a lasting impression on everyone she met.” The death of Peters has left her family in a state of “emptiness and heartbreak.”
