FRANKLIN COUNTY — State prosecutors this week announced they will seek the death penalty for a man accused of killing a Hermann cop and injuring another.

Kenneth Lee Simpson in 2023 was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, unlawful possession of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action.

He's set to stand trial in January.

Lawyers from the Missouri Attorney General's office are prosecuting the case, which in November 2023 was transferred from Gasconade County to Franklin County. In a filing this week, prosecutors announced they would be pursuing the death penalty.

They wrote that they intended to prove that the murder "exhibited a callous disregard for the sanctity of all human life."

Simpson is accused of shooting and killing Hermann police Det. Sgt. Mason

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