6 Years in Prison For Maplewood Man Who Offered $1 Million for Dead Police Officers

The Maplewood man who admitted placing an ad in Craigslist in March, 2012, offering $1 million to kill a Maplewood officer, has been sentenced to six years in prison, the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported.

William Lawrence was 32 at the time and living with his mother in an apartment in the 7700 block of Lindbergh Drive with his mother. She has said he is bi-polar.

The ad read, “Wanted dead, all the Maplewood city police officers, paying one million per head. Two million for detective (redacted),” It was dated Feb. 29, 2012.

Maplewood Police Chief Steven Kruse said Maplewood police were familiar with Lawrence. In February, 2012, they responded to a call involving the man and a disturbance with a neighbor. At the time police took firearms from Lawrence.

Lawrence was upset that Maplewood police did not return firearms they seized.

Lawrence’s public defender said he was “stunned” by the length of the prison sentence, the Post Dispatch reported.

Lawrence could have been sentenced to up to 10 years and a $250,000 fine or a combination of the two.

Read the complete Post Dispatch article on the sentencing.