Key Points
- Former KCPD detective convicted of killing Cameron Lamb requests transfer to Missouri Supreme Court.
- If rejected, attention will shift to Gov. Parson, who may grant a pardon or commutation.
- DeValkenaere relocated from Missouri prison to out-of-state facility; details undisclosed.
Former KCPD Detective Eric DeValkenaere, who was convicted for fatally shooting Cameron Lamb in 2019, has requested to transfer his case to the Missouri Supreme Court.
DeValkenaere’s legal team, in an unusual collaboration with Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, filed an application on Friday seeking a transfer of the case to the state’s highest court. The move comes after an appeals court’s Nov. 21 decision not to give DeValkenaere a new trial.
The maneuver opens the door for the state’s Supreme Court to review DeValkenaere’s case in what is the last legal appeal available to him. DeValkenaere was the first police officer found guilty of killing a Black man in Kansas City when he was convicted of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the Nov. 2021 shooting death of Lamb.
He received a six-year prison sentence in March 2022 and began serving his sentence in late October.
If the Missouri Supreme Court rejects the application, attention will shift to Governor Mike Parson, who holds the authority to grant a pardon or commutation. Parson expressed his views on the matter in a recent radio interview, confirming that the case is under his consideration.
“It’s been one of the toughest issues that’s been on my desk, I would say, trying to figure it out, just because of my law-enforcement career and trying to figure out how the system works,” Parson said to KCMO Talk Radio host Pete Mundo, “and whether you let it work or do you feel like it failed.”
Gov. Parson also said he’s received lots of calls and email from individuals and organizations voicing support or concerns about a pardon. Local social justice groups like MORE2 and KCLEAP have held several rallies and sent several formal letters urging the governor not to pardon DeValkenaere.
“Granting such a pardon would critically damage the already diminishing trust between our community and the justice system, endangering the well-being and safety of Kansas City’s residents and the larger Missouri community,” read a letter joint letter from several groups.
DeValkenaere Moved
Online records indicate that DeValkenaere has been relocated from a Missouri Department of Corrections facility to an out-of-state prison, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Corrections. However, specific details surrounding the transfer remain undisclosed, citing limitations under the state’s Sunshine Law.
DeValkenaere, who turned 45 last Friday, surrendered to Platte County authorities on Oct. 17, following the affirmation of his conviction. Initially placed at the Western Reception, Diagnostic, and Correctional Center in St. Joseph for assessment and processing on Oct. 25, he was subsequently transferred to an out-of-state facility.
DeValkenaere’s Crime
Cameron Lamb had just backed into his driveway when DeValkenaere and his partner entered Lamb’s property by breaking down a privacy fence under the suspicion that Lamb had broken several traffic laws.
They were dressed in plain clothes, riding in unmarked cars, and didn’t identify themselves.
DeValkanaere later claimed that Lamb pointed a gun at his partner— a claim his partner refuted in court — but within 10 seconds of entering the property, DeValkenaere had fired four shots, fatally wounding Lamb.
A grand jury indicted DeValkenaere on two felony charges. The ensuing trial in November 2021 resulted in a guilty verdict on second-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. The judge in DeValkenaere’s criminal case found that the officers violated Lamb’s Fourth Amendment rights by not having a warrant or probable cause to be on Lamb’s property and that DeValkenaere’s conduct was reckless in shooting Lamb
DeValkenaere’s legal team appealed the conviction and the appeals process saw the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, responsible for criminal conviction appeals, supporting DeValkenaere’s request for overturning the conviction. The appeals court upheld the conviction and denied both a new trial and allowing DeValkenaere to remain free during continued appeals.
