Jocelyn Peters was working on baby shower invitations at the time she was killed. Who is to blame? | Forensic Files

911 dispatch, how may I help you? >> I just got home and the door was open and I walked in and
I think she my girlfriend got shot. >> Okay, where was she shot? >> I don't know.
It looked like a hit. >> Did you see who did it? >> I don't know. I can't go in there.
>> This victim resided in an apartment inside the building. Uniform officers had already been there.
The first thing we do is we're going to go in and we're going to see where our victim is.
My name is Mark Beaudelino. I'm a retired homicide detective from the city of St. Louis and I investigated the
murder of Jocelyn Peters from March 24th, 2016. >> This isn't someone who would accidentally leave a door open. She was
responsible. One of the most responsible people I knew. It just didn't make sense.
>> She was a strong force. Fierce advocate for children. Loved them dearly and everyone was going to succeed in her
classroom. >> She always wanted to do the next best thing. In her free time, she was always
checking out what she could do differently to meet the kids' needs. What programs there were out there.
>> There are only three to four full-time arts teachers at the middle school level.
>> She'd bust into my office. "Hey, I need you to come to my classroom today. I've
got some magic going on and you need to come and see it." The kids were learning
and she cared about each one of them and whatever they needed, she gave that to them.
>> First person that we're going to speak to is the person that discovered her. >> And this is Cornelius Green.
>> Correct. >> She truly, truly fell in love with him, honestly, and we all did. He was a
principal. He was kind. He was generous. I mean, he was very attentive to her needs.
>> He voluntarily goes down to the police headquarters. >> You were in Chicago since Tuesday.
>> Yes, sir. >> And then you come back today at 2:57 p.m. >> Yes, I got to the Amtrak at 2:57.
>> How did you get to the train station? >> My brother drove me over there. >> Your
Philip? >> Yes, sir. >> Identified Philip Cutler as brother. Was the person who was transporting Mr.
Green to the Amtrak station. Picking him up when he arrived back in town. Other investigators from the homicide
unit were able to go out and pick up Mr. Cutler to conduct an interview. Detective Hershberger advised him,
"We're going to speak to you regarding this homicide that occurred today." After hearing the word homicide, he
stands up. He lets out a big sigh. And then he reaches into his back pocket and retrieves
a notebook. He thumbs through several pages, tears out a piece of paper, and then he immediately
puts it into his mouth and begins chewing it. Whatever was on those two sheets of
paper, he immediately wanted to get rid of. >> There's another sort of loose end in
this case, too. >> Yes. We identified immediately organic material splattered about in the
headboard and around her pillow and then along the floor. >> What did that turn out to be?
>> We identified that as being fragments from a potato. Like what you think like a baked potato.
>> This case is baffling. My name is Tiffany Becker. I'm a retired assistant United States Attorney for the
Eastern District of Missouri. I couldn't believe the depravity of the crime itself.
>> Hey do you ever been involved in a case like this before? >> Nothing like this.
>> Lead homicide detective Mark Biandolino began the investigation into Jocelyn Peters murder on March 24th, 2016.
Since then he has remained connected to the case even though he's now retired from the St. Louis, Missouri Police
Department. >> I think you have a responsibility to do that. >> You wanted to see it to the end?
>> to see it to the end. If you're working in homicide, you're not just going to
let it fall by the wayside. >> We took a drive to the city's Central West End neighborhood. Nestled among the
historic homes is Jocelyn Peters apartment building. Her apartment's right up there.
>> Yeah, it's the second floor balcony you see that's uh directly in front of us.
>> Is it easy to access that apartment? >> From the outside, absolutely not. I mean, it's a tremendous distance from
the ground up to that balcony. >> Jocelyn Peters lived in apartment 201. The 30-year-old third-grade teacher had
been murdered in the middle of the night while she was sleeping in her bed. Authorities believe she was killed
between 3:00 a.m. and 3:40 a.m. >> How do you get inside the building? >> So, this is the front foyer entryway to
the apartment complex. You'd have to use your uh your key to get in through that front
foyer and then go up the stairs directly at the top of the banister of the staircase.
>> Jocelyn's boyfriend, Cornelius Green, had been in Chicago for 3 days. When he returned to St. Louis on
Thursday, March 24th, he told investigators he drove his car, a white Kia Optima, straight to her place.
Jocelyn's mother, Lacey Peters, says she received an alarming call from Cornelius
soon after. >> When he called me, he told me that he went to go check on her and she was on
the floor. >> Deidra Peters, Jocelyn's aunt, says she had heard something was wrong with her
niece. She immediately began driving towards her apartment, but before she could get
there, >> Lacey had called and she said, "Deidra, pull over." And I don't remember anything that
happened at that point because I lost it. >> Police had given Lacey news no mother
wants to hear. Jocelyn, her eldest daughter, was dead. >> I just remember just crying and just
screaming. This couldn't be true. >> Authorities say there were no signs of forced entry at Jocelyn's apartment. The
wood door at the main entrance appeared secure and sturdy. >> The landlord was hyper
secure over who had keys and what type of keys are used to get into that building. The keys were
non-duplicatable. They're unable to be duplicated. If you took it to a locksmith, they're not allowed to make a
copy for you or they could lose their certification. >> It was no surprise to investigators that
Cornelius had keys to Jocelyn's place. While they didn't live together, they had been in an intimate relationship for
5 years. Jocelyn was 7 months pregnant and Cornelius was the father. >> Jocelyn felt that he'd make a wonderful
father. >> In Jocelyn's home, investigators discovered a guest list as well as invitations inspired by Alice in
Wonderland for her upcoming baby shower. Beaudolino and his team had a lot of questions about the crime scene.
>> Had the apartment been ransacked? Had it look like there'd been a struggle? >> Do you see any of that?
>> Absolutely not. It didn't even remotely look disturbed. >> Jocelyn's cell phone was missing. A
single shell casing from a .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol was discovered on the floor near the nightstand.
>> From my investigative standpoint, we saw that she was laying on her side, head
facing the headboard. She had a apparent wound to her eye. >> And there was something investigators
had never seen before. Potato fragments splattered in the bedroom. >> Splattered about in the headboard,
pieces of it on the victim, around her head and around her pillow and around behind where her head was.
>> They soon had a theory. >> We believe the potato was used as a makeshift suppression silencer to
silence the sound of the firearm being fired. >> Beaudolino showed us how authorities
believe the killer used it. >> I would imagine that the shooter would have the gun. I'm right-handed, so he'd
be holding the gun in his right hand, and he'd have to put that potato out over the barrel of the gun.
>> What's the risk? How dangerous is that? >> I mean, I think I'm no gun expert by any
means, but I think that's falls in that category of extremely dangerous and extremely risky.
>> Can a potato work as a silencer? >> I believe it did in this scenario, and I say that because when we did our canvas,
when we, you know, looked for calls for service in the area around the time of this murder, nobody ever indicated or
made a call that they'd heard a gunshot. >> Whoever killed Jocelyn Peters may have
silenced the gunshot in her apartment, but outside surveillance cameras on the street were recording. Shortly after
3:00 a.m. on the day of the murder, one of the cameras captured an image of a white sedan. The vehicle was eerily
similar to Cornelius Green's car, a white Kia Optima. When Jocelyn Peters graduated from
college, she knew she wanted to be a teacher. >> We were going to be both teaching third
grade, and so there were things that we had to like figure out. >> Dierras Tucker first met Jocelyn when
they started teaching at Mann Elementary. >> Why do you think teaching was so important to her?
>> Jocelyn, I think that she felt this sense of urgency to make sure that she was giving back to students.
>> Jocelyn knew a quality education would be a game-changer for kids, and she wasn't afraid to tackle thorny issues
facing St. Louis public schools. >> 80% of elementary schools do not employ full-time art, music, or physical
education teachers. >> She was always checking out what she could do differently to meet the kids'
needs. >> Nicole Conaway, the former principal at Mann Elementary School, had met
Cornelius Green, a middle school principal, at a work retreat. She had been looking to hire a
third-grade teacher, and Cornelius recommended Jocelyn. >> She called me and said, "I have a
candidate for you. She is great." >> At the time, she had no idea Cornelius was in a relationship with Jocelyn.
>> I brought her in and interviewed her, and about 15-20 minutes in, I said, "Could you please step in the
hallway while we talk about you?" So, I brought her back in, and I offered her the job in that moment.
>> 15 minutes in? >> She was a bright light. She always has been. She talked about how she wanted to
be invested in care for children, and she wanted to teach them. >> In 2014, Jocelyn Peters received one of
the most prestigious honors for educators in St. Louis. >> She was awarded the Pettus Excellence
Award for the district. >> What is that recognizing? >> It's recognizing excellence in the
classroom. We were very proud of her. >> By the spring of 2016, she was also fulfilling some personal dreams. She
surprised her mother, Lacy, with the news. Jocelyn was expecting a baby girl and
had named her Mica Lee. >> We were all very excited for her. >> And the father-to-be, Cornelius Green,
appeared to be a good match for Jocelyn. Cornelius was in a fraternity, and she was active in her sorority and like
Jocelyn, he was an award-winning educator. According to her family, he seemed smitten from the start.
>> He actively pursued her. He started giving her flowers and gifts and was very persistent.
>> Jocelyn's friend Tierra also noticed how attentive he was. >> Jocelyn and I, we ran a 5K a couple of
times and he was at the 5K. So, he seemed really supportive in that way. >> How did she talk about the relationship?
What were her hopes and dreams for it? >> I know that Jocelyn wanted to be married
and that she wanted a family. And I recall her and him like going to go look at houses.
>> But Jocelyn, she says, had grown frustrated with Cornelius during the process.
>> He didn't like any of the houses. No. >> Diedra picked up on Jocelyn's annoyance
as well. >> How come he's not actively looking like I'm looking? How come he's not wanting
this as much as I'm wanting this? >> Jocelyn was ready to be a homeowner. After all, her career was thriving, she
was expecting a baby and in January, she had turned 30 years old. She booked a belated birthday cruise to the Bahamas
to celebrate during spring break and invited her family and Cornelius. >> I think when we started to
see little changes is when we were on our vacation. >> Jocelyn's mother Lacey and her aunt
Diedra say Cornelius, who was usually the life of the party, seemed different. >> He was just distant. I mean, he was not
attentive to her needs. I mean, she's pregnant. She's just looking very uncomfortable.
He's not trying to ensure that she's eating. He's not trying to help her walking, even to look him in his face.
He looked empty. The whole time on the cruise we're saying, "What in the world is going on with them?"
>> A week after the cruise, Jocelyn Peters was dead. Investigators knew the crime scene held
some intriguing clues. In addition to the potato fragments discovered in her bedroom, authorities found a bag of
potatoes on the dining room table. >> She's 7 months pregnant. She has a menu, you know, like a chalk menu, a weekly
menu. >> Yeah, she was being very careful with her diet. >> Very careful with her diet and her
refrigerator. Fruits, vegetables. It wasn't junk food. It was wholesome. >> Yeah.
>> All of the menus, lunch, breakfast, dinner that she had lined up, there wasn't potato listed in there, you
know, ever. So, it was just it just was odd. >> They would soon learn that Jocelyn had
planned to go to the supermarket 2 days before Cornelius traveled to Chicago. >> She's telling him she's going grocery
shopping. He's adamant, "Wait for me. I'll meet you there at the grocery store."
>> Cornelius Green told investigators at the crime scene that he had been in Chicago when Jocelyn was murdered,
and that he could prove it to investigators. >> He goes, "I wasn't here. I just came
here straight from the Amtrak station." Shows them an Amtrak ticket almost immediately.
>> Lead investigator, Mark Biandolino. >> And then he was very oddly specific on
what time he got off the Amtrak. >> In fact, this security footage from the St. Louis train station shows Cornelius
Green with luggage in tow returning on Thursday, March 24th, 2016, approximately 12 hours after Jocelyn was
murdered. Cornelius told authorities his train had arrived at 2:57 p.m. and he had driven to her apartment.
>> He called 911 at like 3:19 p.m. >> He had it down to the minute when he called 911.
>> yeah. It was inherently obvious that he wanted detectives to know I wasn't anywhere around here when this happened.
>> Detectives drove him from the crime scene to headquarters to answer more questions.
>> So, before you walk into that interview room with Cornelius Green, what is your plan?
>> There's no smoking gun piece of information. We want to lay out a timeline for him.
>> How you doing? >> Where he was at prior to discovering Ms. Peters. >> Have a seat right there.
>> We want to get into the weeds with him. >> And you said you were calling her this
morning, you didn't get in contact with her? >> The phone kept going straight to
voicemail. >> And that's her cell phone? >> Beaudolino says Cornelius was respectful
but stand offish in the interview room. And when Cornelius was questioned about his car, a 2013 white Kia Optima, he
appeared agitated. >> Would you like to give us consent to look in your car so we can just rule out
if there's anything in there or do we need to get a search warrant? >> I just don't understand why.
>> Put yourself in our shoes. You know what I mean? If you don't have anything to hide.
>> Yeah, I respect that but I my problem is that I don't like to be feel like I'm
feel like a criminal. Like why would you get a search warrant for my >> He was adamant that he didn't want us to
have anything to do with seeing whatever was in his car or having access to that
car. >> Cornelius explained to investigators that he had loaned his car while he was
away to a man named Philip Cutler who had been visiting from Oklahoma. >> He identifies Philip Cutler as an
individual who came into town. First he says it's his brother, later identifies him as a close childhood friend.
>> Cutler was originally from St. Louis. >> There was obvious amount of trust going
on between those two individuals. Cutler was identified as the person who was transporting Mr. Green to the Amtrak
station. Picking him up from the Amtrak station when he arrived back in town. >> Investigators say once Cutler dropped
the car off with Cornelius, the two went their separate ways. Cornelius was questioned for two hours. Before he left
the police station, he made a call to Philip Cutler. >> Hey. >> It seems Cornelius didn't realize the
camera was still rolling and the microphone was hot. >> I'm down at police department.
Go get my car from the address I'm about to text you to. I need that to happen like right now.
Thank you. >> Then Cornelius called a woman named Stephanie about his car keys. >> Hey,
are you at home? >> And what does he say to her? >> He indicates to her that he needs her to
go meet Phil. Mr. Cutler. >> He told me I could leave with you. >> He doesn't go into details as to why. He
identifies a place where she can go to meet Philip Cutler. There's a huge Amoco sign by a gas station that's a
well-known marker. >> Uniform police officers stopped Stephanie and Philip Cutler near the
Amoco station and took them to police headquarters for questioning. As it turns out, Stephanie had known
Cutler for years. He was a groomsman in her wedding to Cornelius Green. >> When did you all find out that he indeed
had a wife? >> Jocelyn told me. >> Early on? >> She did, but they were divorced. Well,
not divorced, but they were separated. We were legally >> separated. That's what we were told.
>> Stephanie and Cornelius had a young daughter, but had not been living together for several years. Stephanie
was questioned briefly and released, but investigators wanted to know more from Philip Cutler. Minutes before his
interview started, Cutler, alone in the interview room, had done something completely bizarre.
Authorities had not witnessed Cutler's odd behavior in real time. So, beyond Lino and his partner, unaware of what
had just happened, began questioning Cutler, who claimed he'd never met Cornelius's girlfriend, Jocelyn.
>> Did you know where his girlfriend resided? Had no idea. And you've never met her? You never
never been together with him or never been over anywhere where she lived or anything like that?
>> No, never. >> There's a whole slew of things that we can move forward with after interviewing Philip
Cutler. >> Investigators didn't have enough evidence to arrest Cutler. He was free
to leave, but before he left the interview room, Cutler gave investigators an important piece of
information. >> He gives us his phone number. >> What's your actual phone number?
>> Cutler allowed investigators to glance at some of his text messages, but he didn't give them consent to examine his
phone. Five days after Jocelyn's murder, Cornelius went to police headquarters and gave investigators access to his
phone. He also provided them with a written statement. >> He basically started from he went over
to Jocelyn's house on the 20th. They went grocery shopping and he specifically mentions that they
had baked potato for dinner. It was very vague, but it was a very specific to mention potatoes.
It raised the hairs on my neck when I read it. >> Investigators had learned Jocelyn and
Cornelius went to an Aldi supermarket on Sunday, March 20th. Four days before her murder.
>> And we go to that Aldi's and we obtain the surveillance video. >> The camera had captured video of a
couple with a grocery cart. Perched prominently on top of it was a big bag of potatoes.
Authorities say that couple is Jocelyn and Cornelius. >> And we see Cornelius and Jocelyn pushing
out a cart of groceries with a 10-lb bag of russet potatoes on it days before she's murdered.
It stands out. >> The potato shopping was curious but not strong evidence. That would come soon.
Examination of the data on Green and Cutler's phones would expose a text conversation between them almost a month
before Jocelyn's murder. When you coming here? When do you want me to come there? Week of March 20th.
>> Investigators hoped a closer look at Cornelius Green's phone and Philip Cutler's phone number would provide new
leads, and they were not disappointed. >> Well, we dumped the phone, for lack of a
better term. >> And tell me what you find out. >> There was quite a lot in Cornelius'
phone. >> An examination of Cornelius Green's digital history had revealed a curious
text message chain with Philip Cutler. When you coming here? When do you want me to come there?
Spring break, March 18th to the 22nd, week of March 20th. Okay, that'll work. You going to be sending the package?
The conversation was cryptic, but the words spoke volumes to Byonda Alino. >> To us as investigators, we're looking at
this after the murder of Jocelyn Peters. That's a quid pro quo to us, an agreement that looks like has been made
between Cutler and Green. >> That text was written less than a month before Jocelyn was murdered.
>> He's getting something from Cornelius for coming into town. >> You don't know what that is?
>> We don't know what it is. So, we look into how did he get it? We know Cutler is in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and Green is
from St. Louis. I reach out to contacts in the United States Postal Service, FedEx, UPS. You
know, we have we have contacts we can reach out to them. >> His contacts delivered.
>> Well, sure enough, UPS package was mailed from Cornelius Green, from here in St. Louis, to Philip Cutler's address
in Muskogee, Oklahoma. >> What's in the package? >> We don't know what's in the package.
It's an envelope, it's several ounces, and it is $48 charged to be shipped >> Philip Cutler had signed for the package
a few weeks before Jocelyn's murder. Authorities didn't find Cutler's DNA or fingerprints inside her apartment, but
the circumstantial evidence against him was mounting. In June 2016, beyond Alino
got a warrant for Cutler's arrest. >> We responded to Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he was taken into custody.
>> You have the right to have a lawyer and have him or her with you uh while you're being questioned. Do you
understand that? >> Yes. >> Tell me about him being taken into custody and then questioned.
>> Yeah, it's laid out on the table to him. We advised him that he is under arrest
and he is going to be charged with the murder of Jocelyn Peterson and her unborn child.
>> Investigators confirmed the car seen on the security video around the time of
Jocelyn Peters murder was indeed Cornelius Green's white Kia Optima. Green, who was out of town, had loaned
Cutler the car, but Cutler claimed he wasn't driving it that night. >> Okay, nobody had access to that car.
>> Yeah, and somebody could have stole the thing. >> Nobody stole it. >> Yeah, they stole it and then gave it
back and put it in the same spot. Is that what you're telling me? >> Somebody could have stole
>> Hold on. Hold on a second. Hold on a second. I was just using the car to do what I needed to do while I was there.
>> And we know you were using it to do you need >> Okay, I wasn't in the car. >> All right.
>> After his police interview, Cutler was transported from Muskogee, Oklahoma back
to St. Louis, where he was held in custody in the city jail. Investigators also secured a search warrant for
Cutler's Google account and his phone. >> And you get a whole lot of information
from that phone. >> Absolutely. We get a tremendous amount of very specific location data as in
relation to Philip Cutler. >> It had provided a digital path to Jocelyn's address on the day she was
murdered. >> The Google location history showed he was actually on that street and at some
point during that evening between the 2:59 and 3:48 a.m. there was a ping that shows directly in that apartment. And we
believe at that time in Jocelyn Peters apartment. >> When you see his phone pinging
inside her apartment. I mean as an investigator, does it get any better than that?
>> No, I think as far as with what we have here that is for lack of a better term,
that's our electronic eyewitness. That's it right there. >> That Google location data delivered yet
another clue. A few hours after the murder, Cutler's phone was on the move. Authorities say it ended up here at
North Riverfront Park. It's a stone's throw from the banks of the Mississippi River and 10 miles from Jocelyn's
building. >> What leads you down towards this way? >> Uh well, the reason we thought he came
out here was to discard evidence from the murder. Specifically, we believe this is where he he would have discarded
this murder weapon. >> Investigators believe Philip Cutler, who was here for approximately eight
minutes, also tossed Jocelyn's missing cell phone in this area. >> So, if you want to get rid of something
this is the place to throw it. >> Oh, an ideal place. 100% yeah. >> Philip Cutler, who had been down on his
luck before Jocelyn's murder, revealed a lot more after his arrest. >> When we interviewed Mr. Cutler, we
questioned him about a package that Cornelius Green had sent him via the UPS. And Philip Cutler indicated to us
that he was sent $2,500 in US currency from Cornelius Green. >> In early March 2016, a police report was
filed by Carlin Middle School. There had been a theft of cash raised by students
on the dance team. And according to investigators, Cornelius Green, who was the principal, had access to those
funds. >> There was approximately three separate thefts that ended up totaling $2,700.
>> Beyond Olena believed the evidence was adding up and Cornelius Green was the common denominator.
>> We're fairly conclusive that this money taken from this dance team is the same
cash that was mailed to Philip Cutler to murder Jocelyn Peters. >> He's stealing from his school.
>> Yes. >> To give money to a hitman to kill his girlfriend. >> Correct. >> $2,500.
>> $2,500, yeah. >> And how cheap is a life? >> It tells you what he thinks about, you
know, a human life's worth. And uh it's pretty disgusting. >> In August 2016, Cornelius Green was
arrested for theft. >> He was visibly more upset than I think he'd been throughout this entire
investigation that he was being arrested for theft. >> Green posted bail and was removed from
his position as school principal. Jocelyn's former principal, Nicole Callaway. >> To hear that somebody I knew, especially
a fellow principal, could take advantage of children like that, it's disgusting. It's absolutely
disgusting. >> Two months later, in October 2016, Cornelius Green was arrested and charged
with the murders of his girlfriend, Jocelyn Peters, and the baby they were expecting. Shortly after that, Green's
wife filed for divorce. Investigators say she was not involved in Jocelyn's murder.
>> Do you remember your reaction when you heard he'd been arrested? >> I was happy, but I had said some words I
don't think I could say on TV. >> Mhm. And how about you, Deidre? >> It was bittersweet. Didn't feel like it
was justice only because it took so long. >> That's because the homicide docket at
the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's office was backlogged, and the Jocelyn Peters murder case slowed to a crawl for years.
Then, in 2022, the US Attorney's office reviewed the evidence. >> We looked at it because it is a classic
federal case. It's a murder-for-hire case. >> Assistant US Attorney Tiffany Becker,
now retired, prosecuted the case. >> Here we had the interstate nexus of Philip Cutler coming down to St. Louis
to commit the murder. But, not only that, we had Cornelius mailing a package to Oklahoma filled with money.
That was the for-hire prong of the crime. >> School friends Cornelius Green and Philip Cutler would be co-defendants in
a federal courtroom. But, a surprise twist 2 weeks before their murder trial would change the
direction of this case. When Assistant US Attorney Tiffany Becker was preparing for trial, she
wanted the jury to hear about Cornelius Green and Jocelyn Peters relationship before the murder.
>> I think it had increasingly been tense between the two of them with the sore spot in the relationship
being the fact that Cornelius had not gotten the divorce he had promised Jocelyn he would. I think Jocelyn
finally was realizing maybe this was never going to happen. >> Jocelyn, who was 7 months pregnant,
didn't know it, but Cornelius Green had searched the internet for ways to terminate a pregnancy.
>> Through his searches, he's looking at how to obtain medications, how to conceal that within oatmeal or yogurt or
juice, how to make your own capsules. Those searches continue and appear to be fruitless for him because Jocelyn is
still pregnant. >> There's no concrete evidence Cornelius Green put those internet searches into
motion, but Becker believes Cornelius wanted out. >> I believe he wanted to not be involved
with Jocelyn anymore and didn't want a financial obligation that Michael Lee represented him.
>> The investigation also revealed Green had purchased a .380 semi-automatic pistol a few years before the murder.
That weapon has never been found, but it was the same caliber as the shell casing
discovered in Jocelyn Peter's bedroom. >> Bill and I are federal attorneys. >> In a way, we act as special public
defenders in the matter. >> Attorneys Nick Williams and Bill Marsh would represent Cornelius Green at
trial. >> What was he like when you met him? Cornelius Green. >> He's an intelligent person. He's got
family support. He is someone who listens to what you have to say. >> Bill, you're nodding along. Do you
agree? >> Yeah, he was very respectful. A lot of times when there are, you know, high
stakes in a criminal case, uh there can be friction with your client. Uh there really wasn't any with Cornelius.
>> Cornelius had maintained his innocence throughout his 8 years in custody. >> When we get involved in a case, part of
our job is to identify the strengths and the weaknesses of the prosecution. This is a case that involved a lot of
circumstantial evidence. >> But the defense faced a big challenge. Before the US Attorney's office decided
to take the case, state prosecutors had charged both men with murder and were seeking the death penalty.
>> Well, there's a phrase in the world of capital litigation, death is different.
And when we're advising someone anytime it's a capital case, it's going to be different advice than it might be
if it were not a death penalty case. >> On February 28th, 2024, 8 years after Jocelyn Peters' murder and
2 weeks before his trial, Green pleaded guilty to federal charges. >> Green pled guilty as part of a plea
agreement. >> He's pleading guilty to the two counts that he was charged with on the federal
level. Again, conspiracy to commit murder and the murder itself. >> That he paid Mr. Cutler to kill his
pregnant girlfriend? >> That was part of the factual basis made, yes. >> It was a difficult day, but at the end
of the day, I think he knew that it was in his best interest to do that. And I think he also knew it was in the
family's best interest, both his and Jocelyn's family. >> After Green pleaded guilty, the state
dismissed its murder case along with the theft charges. But his co-defendant Philip Cutler wanted his day in court.
He faced the same federal charges. >> You know, his defense sort of tried to argue
really Philip Cutler was nothing more than a pawn in Cornelius Green's elaborate chess game. That Cornelius
Green is a master manipulator and he's the victim. >> Well, that was clearly false. He met
with Cornelius. The text messages do not lie. The Philip's location information and the vehicle being there at the time
of the crime do not lie. >> You don't think he was manipulated by Cornelius into this?
>> No, I think he wanted money desperately because he was in such dire straits and he had loyalty to his
friend. >> Investigator Mark Biandalino was in the courtroom. There were no cameras
permitted at trial. >> What was his demeanor like at the trial? >> It ranged from
sleeping at times. He showed a lack of remorse and a lack and a lack of credibility.
>> Cutler took the stand in his own defense and he told the jury what he claims was written on those notepad pages he
swallowed. >> He said it was a person's name and number that he was buying weed from.
>> The jury didn't seem to buy Cutler's testimony. Their verdict, guilty. Philip
Cutler and Cornelius Green were sentenced to two consecutive life terms for the murders of Jocelyn Peters and
the baby she was expecting, Michael Lee. Tiffany Becker says she was relieved for
the Peters family. >> So happy that the closure that they deserved came to be and so happy that Jocelyn's
death was avenged and Micah's. >> Jocelyn's friend Tierra Tucker still has a lot of unanswered questions.
>> What would you say to Cornelius if you had an opportunity to speak to him? >> Part of me wants to know why.
Like just why? He's a monster. And he's the worst kind of monster because he pretends to be something
else. >> Jocelyn's family will always remember her as the third-grade teacher with a
vibrant spirit. >> I know Jocelyn is living everlasting life. Her and Micah are growing together, and they're
with other loved ones. God had a bigger plan, so maybe she was called the one to
teach the other angels, to educate, to inspire. >> Welcome to Post Mortem. I'm 48 Hours
correspondent Natalie Morales filling in as host today to speak with Anne Marie Green about her report on the murder of
Jocelyn Peters. So, on March 24th, 2016, Jocelyn's boyfriend, Cornelius Green, called the St. Louis Police Department
to report that Jocelyn had been shot in her apartment. Now, this story features details that I have never encountered in
another 48 Hours episode, including a key suspect eating pages out of a notebook and fragments of a potato that
were found at the crime scene. We're going to discuss all of that and more, but first, Anne Marie Green, thanks for
joining us. >> Natalie, it's always great to be here and you know, I always like doing Post
Mortem with you, so it's fantastic. >> Thank you. I love doing it with you as well and this one is such an intriguing
case. I mean, I got to remind our viewers first though, if you haven't watched or listened to our 48 Hours
episode Jocelyn Peters and the notebook, just go check it out right now, then come back for a conversation.
Jocelyn Peters was a 30-year-old beloved elementary school teacher. She was in a
relationship with a school principal, Cornelius Green, for 5 years. In fact, they were expecting a child together.
Jocelyn was 7 months pregnant when she was killed in her home. Well, now investigators did find a shell casing on
the floor. No weapon though was recovered. Jocelyn's phone was also missing and they did find something else
that was really bizarre, Anne Marie. >> They did. They found potato fragments in
the bedroom. Um and what they really believe is that it was used as a silencer. And it's not
just the potato fragments in the bedroom. As you saw in the hour, Jocelyn was really kind of focused on her health
and she chronicled everything she ate throughout this pregnancy. Potatoes not on the list, but there's a big bag of
potatoes in the house. Later on what you find out is that Cornelius and Jocelyn went shopping shortly before she was
killed and one of the things they bought was potatoes and the reason that it's kind of so important is it gives you an
indication of the level of pre-planning for this, right? She just didn't just happen to have potatoes. This There was
something very, very deliberate about purchasing those potatoes that day. >> And and potatoes as a silencer, I mean,
I had never even heard of that before. Where did that idea even come from? >> I mean, when I first heard of it, it
reminded me of some like 1940s like talkie gangster movie or did they call them talkies? Yeah, you know what I
mean? But it probably worked because no one in the apartment heard the gunshot, right? But also it's actually you know,
come up in movies and television before. In fact, they mentioned one particular movie during the trial
the 1992 film South Central. They use a silencer a potato as a silencer. >> And I know the lead detective on the
case actually did a demo for you. I mean, this had to be extremely dangerous by the way, right?
>> I did not appreciate how dangerous it was until he sort of showed me how it would work cuz I think in my mind I just
thought oh you just stick the potato on the end, right? But you can't otherwise you'd have a gun sort of full of potato.
So you have to kind of hold it. So you can imagine Natalie, you're holding this gun and at the end of the gun where the
bullet is coming out, you're holding a potato. If you move your hand in any direction by mistake, you're going to
shoot your hand off. It's extremely dangerous. >> Does not sound like a good idea at all.
Well, police quickly zeroed in on Jocelyn's boyfriend at the time Cornelius Green. After surveillance
cameras picked up images of a white sedan that appeared to look like the car that he drove that was a Kia Optima.
That was around 3:00 a.m. that the surveillance cameras picked up that image. Turns out though, Cornelius had
an alibi. He was in Chicago at the time that Jocelyn was murdered, but we learn that he had loaned his car to his friend
named Philip Cutler. >> Now before I get into you know, how we find out about that, I should talk about
his trip to Chicago. He visited friends of his or a couple 48 hours did reach out to them. They
were not interested in participating in this process according to the prosecution. he was there for a couple
days and they did think it was sort of a little odd and that his behavior was a little odd during that time. You know,
it's a quick turnaround, he comes right back, but how we learn that he's lent his car is because while he's sitting in
the interrogation room in the police station, he makes a phone call. And he calls Cutler and asks Cutler to pick
up the car and the cameras are rolling and we have all this video. >> Video and audio, so I guess he just
forgot that in those interrogation rooms, the cameras are always rolling. So, he also called his wife and I yes,
we're talking about his wife cuz he was still married at the time, his wife Stephanie, and and talked about his car
keys and asked her to then meet Cutler. Now, police bring Cutler in, that's when
we see another bizarre thing happen on camera. >> He was caught on camera eating pages
from his notebook. So, from what I gather, you know, Philip Cutler is brought to this room, but he's
not told what why he's there. An officer at one point comes to the door, opens the door and and that's when Philip
Cutler says, "Do you know how long how long I'm going to be here?" And the officer says, "Well, it's a
homicide investigation, so, you know, I'm paraphrasing, these things take time." It is after that that he starts
flipping through his notebook and stuffs these pieces in his mouth. >> And I guess investigators at the time
did not see that that video in real time as we saw it as the viewers. >> You're right, you know, these I guess I
didn't really kind of realize this, but I guess once you're in this room, the cameras are rolling, there's audio,
there's sound, but you know, the officers are the investigators are, you know, getting their questions together,
getting their paperworks work together. They're not watching the entire time. And so, when they go back into the room,
they didn't know to ask him about these papers until much later. >> What did they think when they saw that?
>> Just like the rest of us, they wanted to know what was on, you know, those papers. You know, later on, Cutler
argued that what was on those papers it was like the phone number to like a guy that he bought marijuana from. Um but
what what we do know is once he realized it was a homicide investigation, he felt
the need to get rid of those pages. >> Well, uh Cutler also claimed he did not know Jocelyn Peters, but he did provide
police with a key piece of information that would become crucial, and that was his phone number.
>> Yeah, exactly. And then later on, uh Cornelius gives them access to his actual phone. And so, then what you see
as they go through the phone, and then they have the phone number, is a really important series of
text messages um between the two, right? And I'm just going to read out what's said.
Green asks Cutler, "When are you coming here?" Cutler says, "When do you want me
to come there?" "Spring break, March 18th to the 22nd." Uh "The week of March 20th" is what
Green says. Cutler says, "Okay, that will work." You got to remember, like, you know, Cutler lives in Oklahoma.
These guys are friends from when they were little kids, but they're not hanging out together on a regular basis.
Cutler then says, "You going to be sending the package." Now, investigators are like, "What package? What What are
they looking for?" Um and they look at every possible way that a package could be sent from St. Louis to Oklahoma, and
go through all the list. Could it be UPS? Could it be the postal service? Until they find a package that was
delivered to uh Cutler. Of course, they don't know what's in it, but they know it's got the dimensions of maybe a
letter or something a little heavier. >> Well, it turns out that package contained about $2,500
and Cutler had signed for it. Cutler's phone location, by the way, was also placed at the scene of the crime. And
that's when, after all of that is put together, he is then arrested. >> Right. >> Well, let's talk about Cornelius Green.
Now, Jocelyn's friend called him in the hour a monster, and he's the worst kind of monster because he presents to be
something else. I mean, that really struck me hearing that language because on paper, he's a school principal, he
seems to have everything going for him, but we learn everything else around him is just all a facade, right, Amarie?
>> The best word, Natalie. I literally was about to say facade. It's It's all image, no substance. I mean, I think he
was a good principal. People seem to like him as a principal. The prosecutor described him as an enigma because he
has no >> criminal record. There isn't sort of a history of violence or any of that. Um
and yes, we learned that he was married. He also had a daughter, too. >> Do we know if his his wife was aware at
all about Jocelyn and vice and vice versa? >> He didn't had not been living with his
wife and child for several years. According to Jocelyn's family, he told Jocelyn that they were legally
separated. His wife, now now ex-wife cuz she filed for divorce later, um Stephanie knew about Jocelyn, but
thought that they had broken up. Um but but here's the thing. There were so many other women. Um I
want to share a little clip from the prosecutor, Tiffany Becker, about what she has to say about all of this.
>> We know that he was involved um sexually not only with his ex-wife off and on,
obviously Jocelyn, but then he had a relationship with another woman. She would believe that she was going to
marry him and that they were going to get a house and build a family together. And there were multiple other
individuals we identified during the examination of his text messages that showed he was juggling all of these
relationships at that time. >> Mhm. >> Somehow he was successful with the ladies.
>> He absolutely was really good at showing different people, I guess, a different
face. >> Yeah, and and just to think about Jocelyn, I mean, she's 7 months pregnant
thinking that eventually she might marry the guy, that all she wants is to set up
a house with him and to, you know, really just have a a solid relationship and start for her her baby girl.
>> I should say, Natalie, one of the things that Jocelyn's family said to us is that they felt that
he was successful at juggling all these women because he deliberately chose women who were career-oriented.
And they would be too busy to be going through his text messages, asking them, "Who's this girl?" That they were just
like really focused-driven women. So, they they were not going to be checking up on him to see what he was up to. And
so, he got away with a lot. >> Welcome back. All right, well, let's talk about how Cornelius Green allegedly
stole $2,700 from his own school's dance team. That shows you >> the kind of desperation
and the level of, you know, depravity that he was he was capable of. >> Yeah, I mean, he didn't have the money
to send to Philip Cutler. So, you know, the allegation is that he stole it from his own school. Nicole Conaway, the
principal of at Jocelyn's school, said he literally stole from children to pay for killing his own child. So, the way
he was caught is the they were kind of holding this money in a box in a room, basically. Um, like a a big closet or
whatever. Not that it wasn't in a bank account. According to police reports, someone saw him go in. And he was just
one of, you know, a couple of people who went into the room. Um, but when the police were called to do the
investigation, you know, they're questioning the teacher who is saying, "I don't know, this money's gone."
He's right there. That's her boss. You know, it's very difficult for her to say, "Well, the
only other person that went into the room was this this guy, my boss." So, this is very kind of uncomfortable
situation, but eventually, you know, he is identified as the person who stole the money. I should say he was arrested,
but those charges were later dismissed after Cornelius pleaded guilty to the federal charges, right? First, he was
charged at the state level, but then everything moved over to the federal court. So, then those theft charges were
dismissed. >> And and I just keep going back to $2,500. I mean, that was how he how much he
valued Jocelyn's life. It's just horrendous. >> Yeah, absolutely. Um, and not just her life, but, you
know, you have a child that's coming. And uh the lead detective, Mark Blondellino, I talked to him about it.
He thought it was absolutely disgusting. And that guy, you know, he spent a career doing homicide in uh St. Louis.
So, he's seen a lot of things. Blondellino actually said that he seemed like more upset about being charged with
the theft than what ended up happening 2 months later, which was him being charged with murder.
>> Mhm. And and going back to I mean, what what was the motive in all of this? >> Well, you know, prosecutors and
investigators think that the motive was the pregnancy. Um, he already had a child with his wife. He did not want to
have another child. He just didn't want the financial responsibility. And you can see that almost, you know, from the
beginning of the pregnancy with Jocelyn, he starts to Google searches to figure out ways to terminate this pregnancy.
This is heartbreaking in so many different ways, but when you talk to Jocelyn's friends
and family, she would have been fine. Um she loved children. She had a good job. You know, if he wanted to be an
idiot about this, she would have gone on with her life. Um >> Mhm. >> So So that's Yeah, it's terrible.
>> And And what was the nature of Jocelyn and Cornelius's relationship then at the
time of the murder? Because we hear they go on this cruise together and it seems
like things are okay. >> I think like the only red flag before that cruise that her friends and family
talked about, we mentioned it in the hour, is she was like ready to build, right? So she's like, "Time You know,
get out of this apartment. Let's move into a house." And he was all enthusiastic about searching for houses,
but then he always found like a reason why this house just wasn't perfect. And it was starting to feel deliberate. Not
that he was picky, not that he wanted nothing but the best, but it just started to feel like he really was using
it as a a stall tactic. But on the cruise, Jocelyn's aunt says he looked distracted. And by then, I mean, based
on the text messages, he's already planned this whole thing out, right? Jocelyn is not going to see
another birthday. >> Mhm. Just horrific, you know, just thinking if she had possibly moved out
just a little bit earlier cuz I know she was making plans to do that. >> Yes, she comes from an amazing family.
They are so supportive of each other. And her mom, Lacey, had Jocelyn's old bedroom already. She saved money. She
improved the bathroom in the house. Like the plan was, Jocelyn, you come move in
and then you will be surrounded by a village. And this child with will have all the love and support that they need.
Well, unfortunately, you know, we find out a week later she ends up dead. So, Cutler was arrested and charged with
Jocelyn's murder in June of 2016. And then Green was arrested and charged with Jocelyn's murder in October of 2016.
Both men were held in the city jail for 6 years. While they were waiting there, then they were finally indicted on
federal charges in 2022. Anne-Marie, why did it take so long? >> I know. Nally, we've done cases that
drag on and on and on. Often, it's because the defendant is working the system. They fire their lawyers, they
you know, something along those lines. In this case, it's just because St. Louis has such a tremendous backlog,
which is like just bonkers to me. And eventually, what ends up happening is federal
prosecutors take a look at the case. And because, you know, it crosses state lines, it actually works really well as
a federal case. And the thinking is that it'll be processed, it'll get to to trial much faster. It still takes, you
know, a couple more years, but it it does get to trial faster. But Green though ended up taking a plea deal.
He does. He waits until the very, very end, like right before he's going to go to trial. But the state charges came
with the death penalty. And so, he ultimately decides that he's going to take a deal with the federal case. The
state charges are dropped, including that theft charge. And he agrees to certain facts in the case, like you
always do when there's a plea, right? Um but his co-defendant, Cutler, does not.
He wants to go to trial. But I got to tell you, uh he did himself no favors. Several people told us that he was
literally sleeping in court. And when I asked, "Are you sure he wasn't just resting his eyes, blinking for a very
long time?" He Now, he was snoring. So, they knew he was sleeping. So, I'm sure that didn't help at all.
>> You can imagine what the jury thinks about that, especially when you consider
that you know, here he is charged with killing a pregnant woman. Right. Seven months pregnant at the time, as well.
>> Right. So, Cutler's found guilty. Philip Cutler and Cornelius Green, they're both
sentenced to two consecutive life terms uh for the murders of Jocelyn Peters and
for the murders of Michael Lee, her baby. And Cutler's appeals so far have been denied.
>> And how did Jocelyn's family react to that verdict? >> So, certainly there was relief, but
without Cornelius going to trial, it leaves sort of a ton of unanswered questions. We're We're just guessing as
to why he did this, why he took this most extreme route um to solve what he thought was a was a problem. Um but the
ripple effects continue today. Uh Jocelyn's aunt learned of her murder while she was driving on the highway. To
this day, she cannot drive on the highway. And Jocelyn's former principal, Nicole Conaway, could not go back into
the classroom after this. And now, she actually works as a consultant. Uh so, she's still in education, but you know,
looking at the faces in those classrooms reminded her too much of Jocelyn. >> And you got to, you know, consider how
her mom was handling all of this, as well. >> Yeah, she um you know, she's had some
hard knocks in life in general. Um and she shared something beautiful that Jocelyn would leave behind, kind of
an educational legacy. And I want I want to play a clip. >> She was the type of um
teacher that always came very early because she had to uh greet each and every student
every day. Education was just so important to her. And the kids learning to used to always say, "The first time
you travel throughout the world is reading a book." She was the presence in the room without saying one word.
She was that person. She was that person. >> So, you know, the St. Louis School District
is deals with a lot of challenges in the classroom and the kids have challenges outside of the classroom that they bring
into the classroom. It really takes a special person to take on this vocation. My mom is a retired
school teacher. I'm just going to say that she was an excellent teacher. And what I learned watching her was teaching
is not something you do. It's who you are. >> And this was Jocelyn. >> And you can only imagine, you know, the
ripple effect on the kids as well, you know, we can all remember, certainly, that one teacher that had that impact on
our lives. I imagine Jocelyn Peters was that teacher to the kids that she taught, that she left a mark on them.
>> I absolutely believe that and it's a pity. I would have loved to have seen um the impact that she would have had on
that city if she was allowed to to live the life that she hoped and dreamed for.
>> Well, Anne Marie, thank you once again for another great episode of 48 Hours.
>> Thank you, Natalie, and thanks to all the teachers out there. >> If you like this episode, please rate
and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Watch "Jocelyn Peters and the Notebook" and then catch up with "48 Hours" correspondents Natalie Morales and Anne-Marie Green on "Post Mortem" as they discuss the murder of third-grade teacher Jocelyn Peters.

00:00 Jocelyn Peters and the Notebook 41:36 Watch the "Post Mortem" podcast

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Jocelyn Peters was murdered by her boyfriend Cornelius Green, who conspired with Philip Cutler; both received life sentences.

Key points

Jocelyn's Teaching Legacy. Jocelyn was a dedicated teacher who cared deeply for her students and their needs.
Jocelyn Peters' Tragic Murder. Jocelyn Peters, a beloved teacher, was found murdered in her apartment, raising many questions.
The Disturbing Crime Scene. The crime scene revealed no signs of forced entry, raising suspicions about Jocelyn's boyfriend.
The Potato Silencer Theory. Investigators theorize that a potato was used to silence the gunshot during the murder.
Cornelius Green's Alibi. Cornelius Green claims he was in Chicago when Jocelyn was murdered, providing an Amtrak ticket as proof.
Arrest of Cornelius Green. Cornelius Green was arrested for the murder of Jocelyn Peters and her unborn child.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This case is baffling.

Tiffany Becker reflects on the perplexing nature of the crime.

3:51WatchApr 19, 2026

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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