The Ex-Principal Was Found Guilty of Murder-for-hire in the Death of His Pregnant Teacher Lover

A Missouri school principal got what was coming to him after admitting that he used money stolen from a St. Louis middle school to pay a friend to kill his pregnant lover in 2016.

In a press statement, federal prosecutors said that Cornelius Green, who used to be the principal at Carr Lane Visual and Performing Arts Middle School, was charged with one count of murder-for-hire and one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. He was given two life sentences in prison that ran consecutively.

Because Green was given two life terms in a row, he will have to wait at least 50 years before he can be considered for parole.

Police said that he hired Phillip Cutler, his 46-year-old friend, to kill his lover Jocelyn Peters, 30, and Micah Leigh, her unborn child. This led to his sentence.

This week, Cutler was given the same penalty.

Green, who was married at the time, had already said that he had hired a friend to kill Peters, who was seven months pregnant at the time.

Lawyers for the federal government said that Green and Cutler talked about planning the murder over the phone.

The police say that Green sent Cutler a UPS package in March 2021 with $2,500 to pay for horribly killing his pregnant lover.

The former principal revealed that he paid for the murder-for-hire with money that he stole from the school.

Chief Executive Officer of Mann Elementary, Dr. Nicole Conaway, said, “He stole from kids to pay for killing his own child.”

Green gave Cutler the keys to his Kia Optima and Peters’ apartment while he was on a train trip to Chicago to make up an excuse for the murder.

A police report says that Cutler went to Peters’ apartment, used the keys to get in, and then shot her. The police said he used a potato to block out noise.

At the time of her murder, Peters was at the kitchen table making invites for a baby shower. Her boyfriend paid for the murder.

Cutler told Green that Jocelyn and the baby had been killed, so Green bought a train ticket to go back home.

Authorities say that when Green got back to St. Louis, he first tried to get Peters’ mother to “check on her,” even though he knew what she would find.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker said at Tuesday’s meeting, “The evil of telling a mother to go find Jocelyn’s body when you knew she was dead can’t be matched.”

Police say Green finally went to Peters’ flat and pretended to be shocked when he called 911 to say she had died.

“He pretended he had no knowledge of the circumstances leading to the deaths, lying to police and getting Cutler and others to conceal evidence,” 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.”

Green and Cutler admitted to killing Peters and her baby in February.

Authorities say Green was legally married to another woman at the time of the murder and had several other relationships.

During her time with Green, Peters had a miscarriage and ended one pregnancy at his request.

Police also said Green was “looking into ways to secretly poison” her by breaking up pills and putting them in yogurt or oatmeal.

Police say that after the poisoning didn’t work, Green talked to his friend about how to kill his girlfriend and kid.

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

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

Lacey Peters, Peters’ mother, said that Green was meant to protect Peters but ended up killing her.

Lacey Peters said, “She loved him all the time, and she loved that baby so much.”