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 high school.
Federal prosecutors announced in a news release that Cornelius Green, former principal of Carr Lane High School for the Visual and Performing Arts, 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 sentences in prison.
Green's two consecutive life sentences mean he will have to wait at least 50 years to be considered for parole.
His sentencing came after authorities said he hired his friend, Phillip Cutler, 46, to kill his girlfriend, Jocelyn Peters, 30, and their unborn child, Micah Leigh.
Cutler was charged with the same sentence this week.
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Cornelius Green, former principal of Carr Lane Visual and Performing Arts High School, stole field trip money to pay Phillip Cutler $2,500 to kill his pregnant girlfriend, prosecutors say. (St. Louis City Justice Center)
Green, who was married at the time, previously admitted hiring his friend to kill Peters, who was seven months pregnant at the time.
Federal prosecutors said Green and Cutler planned the murder through a series of phone calls.
Authorities said Green sent Cutler a UPS package in March 2021 containing $2,500 to pay for the gruesome murder of his pregnant girlfriend.
Green had Peters buy potatoes days before his own murder, prosecutors said. (U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri)
The former principal admitted that he used stolen school funds to finance the murder-for-hire.
“He literally stole from children to pay for killing his own son,” said Dr. Nicole Conaway, principal of Mann Elementary School.
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Authorities said 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, entered with the provided keys and shot him, authorities said. Prosecutors said he used a potato as a silencer.
Peters was sitting at the kitchen table and preparing invitations for the baby shower at the time of her murder, which was financed by her boyfriend.
Third-grade teacher Jocelyn Peters was remembered as “someone who cared deeply about children,” People reported. She was shot to death in her sleep in the early hours of March 24. (Jocelyn Peters on Facebook)
After Cutler confirmed that Jocelyn and the baby had been murdered, Green bought a return train ticket.
When Green returned to St. Louis, he first tried to get Peters' mother “to go check on him,” knowing what he would find, authorities said.
“The depravity of asking a mother to go get Jocelyn's body, knowing she was dead, is beyond compare,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker said during Tuesday's hearing.
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Authorities said Green eventually went to Peters' apartment and feigned surprise when he called 911 to report her death.
“He pretended to have no knowledge of the circumstances leading up to the deaths, lied to police and got Cutler and others to conceal evidence,” federal prosecutors said. “Cutler was detained for questioning that same night after he attempted to recover the Kia Optima from the crime scene under Green's direction.”
Phillip Cutler was a childhood friend of Green's. Prosecutors say Green gave her the keys to Peters' apartment, where he shot her. (St. Louis City Justice Center)
In February, Green and Cutler pleaded guilty to the murder of Peters and her baby.
Legally, Green was married to another woman at the time of the murder and had several other romantic relationships, authorities said.
In her relationship with Green, Peters had had miscarriages before and had terminated a pregnancy at his insistence.
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 deaths of his girlfriend and son, police said.
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Peters' cousin, Dedra Peters, said his death left the “family empty and heartbroken.”
“Jocelyn had a light around her at all times,” he said.[Jocelyn] “He touched the heart of anyone he came into contact with.”
Peters' mother, Lacey Peters, said Green was supposed to be Peters' protector but became his executioner.
“All she did was love him,” Lacey Peters said, adding, “and she loved that baby so much.”
