Jurors recommend death penalty for man found guilty of killing Hermann police officer
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Jurors have agreed that a man found guilty of killing a Hermann police officer in 2023 should face the death penalty.
Kenneth Simpson, of Steelville, was found guilty on Saturday of first-degree murder, first-degree assault, two counts of illegal gun possession, one count of illegally possessing a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action. Jurors in Franklin County unanimously agreed on Friday that Simpson should be put to death, according to a Friday night press release from the Attorney General’s Office.
“Justice has been served. With grateful hearts, The family and The Chief Mason Griffith Foundation now begin rebuilding. We will move forward one day at a time, doing what Mason lived for helping others, serving with purpose, and choosing what is right,” Angela Koepke, Mason Griffith’s mother-in-law and operations director of the Mason Griffith Foundation, said in a text message to ABC 17 News.
Judge Craig Hellmann will issue Simpson’s formal sentence at a later date, the release says.
Simpson was accused of shooting and killing Sgt. Mason Griffith and wounding Officer Adam Sullentrup in March 2023. The trial started last in Franklin County after it was moved from Gasconade County, where the shooting happened.
Simpson shot both men within 15 seconds on March 12, 2023, at a Casey’s convenience store in Hermann. The case was moved in 2023 from Gasconade County to Franklin County.
Police caught Simpson following a more than 12-hour standoff. The state of Missouri, on Sept. 14, 2023, filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Simpson.