St. Louis Cop Murder Trial: Clergy Warns Of Unrest

ST. LOUIS, MO — More than two dozen clergy members warned a judge about potential unrest if he acquits a former St. Louis police officer of murder in the killing of a black man following a high-speed pursuit.

The St. Louis clergy members gathered outside the courthouse Friday, where the Rev. Clinton Stancil read their letter to the judge weighing the case against Jason Stockley, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

While the group doesn't condone violence, Stancil said they believe there will protests if Stockley, 36, isn't convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith. (For more information on Stockley's case and other St. Louis stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

"Any decision rendered by you other than a guilty verdict will make you liable for any ensuing unrest or acts of aggression," the group wrote to Judge Timothy Wilson. "In biblical terms, 'the blood will be on your hands.'"

Stockley shot and killed Smith following a high-speed chase. The encounter began when Stockley and his partner tried to corner Smith in a fast-food restaurant parking lot after seeing what appeared to be a drug deal. Stockley testified that he saw what he believed was a gun, and his partner yelled "gun!" as Smith backed into the police SUV twice to get away.

At his bench trial, prosecutors alleged that Stockley planted a gun in Smith's car after he shot him. They said the gun had Stockley's DNA on it, but not Smith's.

Stockley, who left the police force in 2013 and moved to Houston, denied that he planted the gun. He testified that he saw Smith holding a gun before the chase began, and that he felt he was in imminent danger when he opened fire.

Testimony concluded last month, but it's unclear when Judge Timothy Wilson will rule.

There is a history of unrest in the St. Louis area after similar cases, including the sometimes violent protests that erupted after the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson in 2014. Brown, who was black, was unarmed when fatally shot by a white police officer. The officer wasn't charged but later resigned.

Mayor Lyda Krewson issued a statement last week calling for calm.

Photo credit: Jim Salter/Associated Press