UNION – Formal sentencing for Kenneth Lee Simpson is scheduled for Thursday afternoon in the Franklin County Justice Center.

At 1 p.m. in Courtroom 302, 20th Circuit Presiding Judge Craig E. Hellmann is set to begin the sentencing hearing for Simpson, who was convicted in February of the March 12, 2023, killing of Hermann Det. Sgt. Mason Griffith and the wounding of Hermann Patrolman Adam Sullentrup.

After four days of testimony, a jury of Greene County residents found Simpson guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Griffith, first-degree assault in the severe wounding of Sullentrup and several other felonies. The jury recommended the death sentence for Simpson, 35, of Warren County. Simpson was prosecuted by the Missouri Attorney General’s Office; he was defended by a pair of attorneys with the Missouri Public Defender’s Office.

The shooting occurred on a Sunday night in Casey’s General Store on Market Street as Griffith and Sullentrup approached Simpson in the store. The policemen had just learned that Simpson was named in warrants issued in Warren and Franklin counties. After the shootings, Simpson fled the store and entered a house nearby.

A standoff with police ended the next day with Simpson leaving the house and being taken into custody without further incident.

After first being booked into the Crawford County Jail — which houses some of Gasconade County’s inmates — Simpson was transferred to Franklin County Jail when his case was moved from Gasconade to Franklin after his formal arraignment.

In an effort to further ensure having an unbiased jury to hear the capital murder case, Hellmann schedule jury selection in Greene County. The 12 jurors and six alternates were brought to Franklin County, where they were sequestered for the duration of the nearly week-long trial.

When Simpson is formally sentenced he will become an inmate of state government, ending Gasconade County’s involvement in the case. The sentencing also will begin the process of determining the final cost of conducting the Simpson case, which will be forwarded by Franklin County to the Gasconade County Commission for payment. Gasconade County, based on the initial schedule outlined by Hellmann, estimated paying a substantial cost. However, the jury selection process and the trial required only about half the time initially scheduled, which should reduce the final amount to be paid by Gasconade County taxpayers.