In a harrowing confession that has sent shockwaves through a Missouri community, a former middle school principal has admitted to orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot, paying $2,500 to have his pregnant girlfriend killed. Cornelius M. Green, once a respected figure at Carr Lane Visual and Performing Arts Middle School, pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the 2016 scheme, including murder for hire conspiracy and murder for hire.
Green’s heinous plan targeted Jocelyn Peters, who was 27 weeks pregnant with his child, in an attempt to prevent the birth of his unborn baby. Despite being married, Green’s infidelity led him to engage in multiple affairs, one of which resulted in Peters’ pregnancy. To carry out the murder, Green embezzled funds from the school and enlisted his friend from Oklahoma, Phillip J. Cutler, to execute the deed.
The plot unfolded with meticulous planning, involving Green instructing Cutler to travel to St. Louis and providing him with the means to access Peters’ apartment. While Green established an alibi by traveling to Chicago, Cutler carried out the murder, using a potato as a makeshift silencer to shoot Peters in the head as she slept.
Green’s elaborate scheme to feign ignorance upon discovering the crime was ultimately undone by the investigation. With Green’s sentencing set for June 5, and Cutler’s trial to begin on March 11, the community is left reeling from the betrayal and brutality of a trusted educator’s actions.
