UNION — Almost a week after being convicted of the murder of one Hermann policeman the wounding of another, Kenneth Lee Simpson faces a recommended sentence of death by lethal injection.

The recommended sentence for the 38-year-old Warren County man came after about eight hours of deliberation by the jury of Greene County residents, which had been sequestered in Union on Jan. 19, the day before the start of the trial. The jury found Simpson guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree assault and seven other felony charges in the March 2023 death of Hermann Det. Sgt. Mason Griffith and the severe wounding of Hermann Patrolman Adam Sullentrup. It took four days of hearing testimony and only four hours of deliberation by the jury to find Simpson guilty on Saturday, Jan. 24.

The jury heard testimony in the trial’s penalty phase last Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Jurors deliberated a sentence of either the death penalty, which the state was seeking, or life in prison without the chance of parole.

Formal sentencing by 20th Circuit Presiding Judge Craig E. Hellmann is set for June 12.

Prosecutors with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, which was requested to take the case by Gasconade County Prosecuting Attorney Mary E. Weston, argued that Simpson acted in cool deliberation in Griffith’s death. Such distinction is critical in proving meditation.

Simpson’s attorneys from the Missouri Public Defender’s Office countered that he acted on emotion, not after deliberation, citing the man’s history of drug use, bouts of being homeless and being despondent over the death of his grandmother about two months before the shooting that took occurred in Casey’s General Store on Sunday, March 12, 2023.

Defense attorney’s did not challenge Simpson’s guilt in the shooting; rather, they argued he should have been tried for second-degree murder, which does not carry with it the death penalty.

The verdict was hailed by Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway.

“Today’s verdict brings accountability, but it does not bring closure. We remember two law enforcement officers — one who made the ultimate sacrifice and another whose life is forever changed. We continue to hold their family, loved ones, and fellow brothers and sisters in blue in our thoughts and prayers,” she said in a story carried by FOX 2 News of St. Louis.

“Throughout this process, our responsibility has been to pursue justice with care and resolve. We honor these heroes by standing with those who serve and by upholding the rule of law even in the hardest moments,” the attorney general added.

Because of expected appeals through the various state and federal courts, it could be decades before a death sentence is carried out. But the conviction of Simpson means he now is a state inmate and not a county inmate. He first was held in the Crawford County Jail and then transferred to the Franklin County Jail when his case was moved to Franklin on a change of venue from Gasconade County.

Because the case originated in Gasconade County, paying the expenses associated with the trial will rest with Gasconade County. According to a letter last February from Franklin County Counselor Mark C. Piontek to the Gasconade County Commission, Franklin initially will pay the costs with reimbursement provided by Gasconade County.

The Gasconade County Commission, not knowing what the exact cost will be, included in the county’s 2026 operating budget adopted Thursday morning $261,000 for trial expenses. Whether more or less will be needed won’t be known until all the bills are received by Franklin County.

This case included several twists and turns not normally seen in local cases. For instance, Hellmann early on took several steps to ensure a fair trial for Simpson by issuing a courtroom decorum order that covered everything from seating arrangements to press coverage to the types of clothing that could be worn by law enforcement personnel attending the trial as members of the audience.

It also included Hellmann going to Greene County in Southwest Missouri to find a jury — and it saw him expand the pool of potential jurors from 600 people to 1,000 residents, a move aimed at better ensuring the selection of an unbiased group of jurors and alternates. It took four days to select the 12 jurors and six alternates to hear the case. An interesting aspect of jury selection was that coverage of the voir dire process was prohibited by the court. The judge earlier explained that move was made to prevent any undue pressure on the potential jurors.

Those 18 Greene County residents were transported to Franklin County the day before the trial began on Jan. 20 and was sequestered in Franklin County during the duration.

In a most unusual development, the trial involved a contempt of court charge for a former Hermann newspaper executive who managed to get a cell phone past security for taking photos. Only court-authorized photography was allowed in this trial. (See related story.)

Hermann Police Chief Marlon Walker said the resolution was a long time coming but that he felt justice has been served and all involved can get begin to get on with their lives.

“It’s been stressful for everybody, the families, the department, the community,” he said. “It’s been a long three years but now we can begin to put back the pieces. It won’t bring back Mason, but at least it will provide some closure for the (Griffith and Sullentrup) families and the community.”