Category: Missouri

Mark McCloskey Won’t Have Guns or Money Returned, Despite Pardon, Missouri Judge Rules

St. Louis lawyer Mark McCloskey will not have his guns or the fines he paid returned to him even though he received a governor’s pardon in 2021, a Missouri judge has ruled. McCloskey and his wife, Patricia McCloskey, both personal injury lawyers, pleaded guilty in June 2021 to misdemeanor charges for assault and harassment, respectively, over an incident…


Top 25 Roundup: Missouri Clips No. 19 Kentucky in SEC Opener

Kobe Brown scored 30 points as Missouri upset No. 19 Kentucky 89–75 Wednesday night in Columbia, Mo., in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. Brown, who earned SEC Player of the Week honors after scoring 31 points in a victory over then-No. 16 Illinois on Dec. 22, also had six rebounds against the Wildcats….


Top 25 Roundup: Mizzou Manhandles No. 16 Illinois

Fourth-year guard Kobe Brown set career highs with 31 points and eight assists to lead Missouri to a 93–71 nonconference romp over No. 16 Illinois on Thursday night in the Braggin’ Rights Classic in St. Louis. Brown established a record for points by a Missouri player in this heated 53-game rivalry as the Tigers (11–1)…


Missouri Man Seeks Exoneration in Murder; 2 Others Confessed

ST. LOUIS—Lamar Johnson has wrongly spent nearly three decades in prison for a St. Louis killing after a witness was coerced into falsely identifying him as the shooter, an attorney for the local prosecutor’s office told a judge Monday. But Assistant Missouri Attorney General Miranda Loesch said detectives will testify that they never threatened or…


2 Charged in Death of Missouri Child Who Ingested Fentanyl

FLORISSANT, Mo.—Two Missouri adults have been charged in the death of a toddler after she ingested fentanyl, St. Louis County police announced Thursday. The child, 21-month-old Lilinna Leak, died after officers found her unconscious at a home in Florissant on Nov. 11, police said. A drug screening at a hospital found fentanyl in her system,…


Missouri Man Executed for Killing Police Officer in 2005

BONNE TERRE, Mo.—A Missouri man convicted of ambushing and killing a St. Louis area police officer he blamed in the death of his younger brother was executed Tuesday night. Kevin Johnson, 37, died after an injection of pentobarbital at the state prison in Bonne Terre. It was the state’s second execution this year and the…


Judge Denies 19-Year-Old’s Ask to Attend Father’s Execution

ST. LOUIS—A federal judge has denied a request from a 19-year-old woman to allow her to watch her father’s death by injection, upholding a Missouri law that bars anyone under 21 from witnessing an execution. Kevin Johnson is set to be executed Tuesday for killing Kirkwood, Missouri, Police Officer William McEntee in 2005. Johnson’s lawyers…


Missouri Gov. Mike Parson Appoints New Attorney General

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced on Nov. 23, the appointment of his former general counsel Andrew Bailey to succeed state Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who was elected to the U.S Senate earlier this month. Bailey will complete Schmitt’s term, which ends in 2024. Schmitt won the Senate seat after defeating his Democrat rival, Trudy Busch…


Biden Administration Says Its Pressure on Social Media Companies Wasn’t ‘Coercive’

The government’s pressure campaign on big tech companies to censor users, including the claim that Facebook was “killing people” by not cracking down enough on purported misinformation, was not coercive, Biden administration lawyers argued in a new motion. Even if government officials “urged social media companies do more to contain misinformation, any content moderation decisions made…


19-Year-Old Asks Court to Let Her Watch Father’s Execution

ST. LOUIS—A 19-year-old woman is asking a federal court to allow her to watch her father’s death by injection, despite a Missouri law barring anyone under 21 from witnessing an execution. Kevin Johnson faces execution Nov. 29 for killing Kirkwood, Missouri, Police Officer William McEntee in 2005. Johnson’s lawyers have appeals pending that seek to…