Bob McCulloch (prosecutor)
Robert P. McCulloch is the current Prosecuting Attorney for St. Louis County, Missouri, a post he has held since 1991. A Democrat, he has won re-election in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010.[1]
McCulloch attended law school at Saint Louis University. He served as a clerk for Missouri Appeals court judge Joseph G. Stewart. McColloch was an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney from 1978 to 1985. McCulloch worked in private practice until 1991, when he was elected to the post of Prosecuting Attorney. McCulloch was president of the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and a board member of the National District Attorneys Association.[1]
In the early 90s, McCulloch prosecuted Axl Rose of the band Guns N’ Roses for charges related to the Riverport Riot.[2]
In 1997, in the so-called "Kinkogate" case, McCulloch gave - using the power of the grand jury, but without informing it - a subpoena to the police in order to identify a whistleblower who was acting lawfully. He pretendend his fax contained a threat. McCulloch later admitted that there was no threat and no crime, but denied any wrongdoing. The whistleblower had to quit his job.[3]
In 2000, in the so-called "Jack in the box" case, two undercover officers shot and killed two unarmed black men. In 2001, they told a grand jury that the suspects tried to escape arrest and then drove toward them; the jury declined to indict.[2][4] McCulloch told the public that every witness had testified to confirm this version, but journalists reviewed the previously secret grand jury tapes and found that McCulloch lied: only three of 13 officers testified that the car was moving forward.[3] A subsequent federal investigation found that men were unarmed and that their car had not moved forward when the officers fired 21 shots; nevertheless, it decided that the shooting was justified.[2][4] McCulloch also drew controversy when he said of the victims: "These guys were bums."[2]
In 2013, McCulloch publicly opposed the re-election of fellow Democrat St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley.[5]
After the August 2014 shooting of Michael Brown, McCulloch announced that rather than making a decision about whether to arrest police officer Darren Wilson, he would bring the case before a grand jury,[6] leaving to jurors the decision of what charges might be brought, if any.[7] His spokesman acknowledged that it is unusual that the prosecutor is not asking the grand jury to endorse a specific charge.[7] It is also unusual to present a case to a grand jury before the police investigation is over.[8]
Cornell Brooks, the president of the NAACP, called for a special prosecutor to replace McCulloch in the case, saying that was needed to restore credibility with Ferguson's black community,[9] and State Senator Jamilah Nasheed presented a petition with 70,000 signatures calling for McCulloch's recusal, based on accusations from the 2000 incident, as well as his close relationship with the police: his father, brother, nephew and cousin served in the force; her mother was a clerk for two decades.[10]
McCulloch was critical of Gov. Jay Nixon's decision to replace St. Louis County Police control with Missouri State Highway Patrol.[11][12]
Personal life
McCulloch is the son of a St. Louis police officer who was killed in the line of duty when McCulloch was twelve years old. McCulloch and his wife Carolyn have four children.[13]
References
- ^ a b "St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney". Retrieved September 20, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d Nicholas J.C. Pistor and Joe Holleman (August 16, 2014). "St. Louis prosecutor has faced controversy for decades". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Sorkin, Michael D. (August 17, 2014). "20,000 sign petitions seeking special prosecutor in Michael Brown shooting". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Robles, Frances (August 20, 2014). "St. Louis County Prosecutor Defends Objectivity". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Christine Byers and Steve Giegerich (October 10, 2013). "St. Louis County prosecutor pulls his support of Dooley in next election". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Frances Robles (August 20, 2014). "St. Louis County Prosecutor Defends Objectivity". New York Times. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Byers, Christine (September 16, 2014). "Grand jury now has until January to decide whether to charge Ferguson officer". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
- ^ Kimberly Kindy and Carol D. Leonnig (September 7, 2014). "In atypical approach, grand jury in Ferguson shooting receives full measure of case". Washington Post. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Kaplan, Rebecca; Face The Nation (August 17, 2014). "NAACP president: Special prosecutor "critically important" in Ferguson". CBS News. Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Chuck, Elizabeth (August 21, 2014). "Petition Against Prosecutor in Ferguson Case Has 70,000 Signatures". NBC News. Archived from the original on August 22, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Staff (August 15, 2014). "McCulloch blasts Nixon for replacing St. Louis County Police control". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Joe Millitzer (August 13, 2014). "Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch talks about Mike Brown shooting". Fox News. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Paul Brown (April 19, 2012). "Persons of Interest: Bob McCulloch". Ladue News. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)
Cite error: A list-defined reference named "ABC.Obama" is not used in the content (see the help page).
External links
- St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney official site