crime

The April 4 election is the first under redrawn Kansas City Council districts, which means residents may be voting in a different district than they have in the past. Several races, while non-partisan, have become heated and intense.

Lawyers for St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner have asked a judge to throw out an effort by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to forcefully oust her from office, arguing that he has not met the high standard for removal under state law.

A huge selling point for those who voted for Amendment 3 in November was the automatic expungement provision — meaning people who have already served their sentences for past charges will have their records cleared. All marijuana-related misdemeanors must be expunged by June 8 and felonies by Dec. 8.

Under the legislation, the governor would be able to appoint a special prosecutor for a period of up to five years in jurisdictions where homicide cases exceed a certain rate. Currently, only St. Louis falls under that requirement.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is seeking to force out Kim Gardner from her post as St. Louis Circuit Attorney. Experts believe the outcome could have major implications for legal precedent and public policy.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said Wednesday that he would file paperwork to start the process of removing St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner from office if she did not resign by noon Thursday She did not resign and and called Bailey’s action politically motivated.

The family of a missing Black woman began searching for her in June, but say that Kansas City Police officers were dismissive of their concerns. Months later, her body was found buried in a backyard, but police have yet to offer any updates to the investigation.

Neither Lamar Johnson nor Kevin Strickland have received compensation from the Missouri for the decades they spent wrongfully incarcerated. That’s because Missouri law only allows for payments to prisoners who prove their innocence through specific DNA testing — which was not the case for either man. A new Missouri Senate bill would change that.

A crime prevention bill supported by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce passed through the House of Representatives this month. But most Missouri Democrats say it will do little to actually prevent crime and gun violence.

Lamar Johnson was freed from prison after a Missouri judge found there was clear and convincing evidence he did not murder Marcus Boyd in 1994. But since DNA evidence wasn’t used to set aside his conviction, Johnson is not eligible for state restitution.

Authorities say Timothy Haslett Jr. kept a 22-year-old woman captive in his basement.

Judge David Mason ruled that there was no longer clear and convincing evidence to keep Lamar Johnson in prison for a 1994 murder in St. Louis. Despite the opposition of Missouri's attorney general, Johnson will become the second person freed under a recent state law allowing prosecutors to bring innocence cases.