Did you know? 6 recent developments about Mischelle Lawless investigation on 31st anniversary of her murder

Wednesday, Nov. 8, marks the 31st anniversary of the murder of Angela "Mischelle" Lawless. Lawless was a 19-year-old college nursing student who was killed on the Interstate 55 exit ramp less than a mile from her home near Benton, Missouri.

She was the oldest of Marvin and Esther Lawless' three children. The outgoing, diminutive teenager was also a waitress at Shoney's in Sikeston, Missouri, and a graduate of Kelly High School.

Lawless was shot three times, first in the face, a second time in the head and a third time through her back and arm as she collapsed over the console of her parents' maroon Buick. But she was injured before she was killed. A pool of blood was found 103 feet down the embankment, along with a blood trail that led back to her car, which was parked on the shoulder of the exit ramp. An autopsy revealed a nonfatal gash on her head, likely caused by the butt of a gun. The evidence suggests Lawless was hit on the head, perhaps knocked unconscious, carried back to her car and placed in the front seat before she was shot to death.

In 1994, Josh Kezer was sentenced to 60 years for second-degree murder and armed criminal action, based on the testimony of jailhouse informants who said they overheard Kezer "confess" to the murder; the testimony of Mark Abbott, an identical twin who identified Kezer as being in a car near the scene as Abbott was using a pay phone to call 911; and the surprise testimony of one of Lawless' friends who came forward at the end of the trial saying she recognized Kezer as the person who fought with Lawless at a Halloween party the week before after Lawless turned down his advances.

All of this evidence was refuted. In 2009, a court found Kezer's rights were violated and that he proved his innocence. No physical evidence tied Kezer to the scene. He had relatives and friends placing him in Kankakee, Illinois — about 350 miles away — around the time Lawless was killed.

For more information about the case, go to www.semissourian.com/lawless.

Several recent developments in the case include:

A pool of blood was photographed outside of the car Mischelle Lawless was driving Nov. 8, 1992, when she was shot three times inside her car. The blood came from a gash on her head. More blood was found 103 feet down the embankment from the exit ramp.Southeast Missourian file

A pool of blood was photographed outside of the car Mischelle Lawless was driving Nov. 8, 1992, when she was shot three times inside her car. The blood came from a gash on her head. More blood was found 103 feet down the embankment from the exit ramp.Southeast Missourian file

New prosecutor

Allen Moss

Allen Moss

In July, the Southeast Missourian first reported that Scott County Prosecuting Attorney Donald Cobb received court approval to appoint a special prosecutor to the case. Cobb said at the time that he didn't want the name of the prosecutor released to the public for fear the special prosecutor would be inundated with tips and distractions that would delay his ability to review the case and make a recommendation. The newspaper granted Cobb's request, but since then the special prosecutor has given public interviews.

The special prosecutor is Allen Moss, Cobb's former partner in private practice. Moss is the municipal judge in Scott City. He also handles criminal, personal injury and worker's compensation cases. Cobb has not commented on the case, citing American Bar Association rules prohibiting lawyers from making extrajudicial statements that could prejudice a jury. ABA rules allow prosecutors to talk about the scheduling or steps in litigation, confirming that an investigation is in progress or to warn the public of potential danger when a subject has not been apprehended.

New detective

David James

David James

Moss has recruited retired Cape Girardeau County detective David James to investigate the Lawless case. James is perhaps best known for the investigation that led to charges against Clay Waller, who murdered his estranged wife, Jacque Waller. In an interview in August, James said he was starting the Lawless investigation from scratch and not picking up where others have left off. He said during the interview he obtained a commission with Scott County Sheriff's Office in part to enable him to work with other jurisdictions and give him insurance protection in the event something happened during the course of his investigation. James said current Sheriff Wes Drury is not involved in the investigation but is cooperating in order to give James access to evidence and materials at the Sheriff's Office.

Several years ago, former Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter filed probable cause in the case, but then-prosecutor Paul Boyd did not file charges. A grand jury was called, but did not indict the suspects. James said it would be important for him to start from scratch to be able to rule out possible suspects and defend the state's position in the event of a trial. Moss is in charge of the investigation, James said, and the person to whom the detective will report.

Some have criticized James' decision to obtain a Scott County Sheriff's Office badge given the conflicts of interest that have come to light over the years. Drury, for example, did not hold one of the Abbott twins for questioning when he reported the shooting death to the dispatchers at the jail the night Lawless was murdered. James was also involved in the investigation of an unsolved case in Cape Girardeau County about 15 months before the Lawless murder. Lee Moore was murdered Aug. 12, 1991, on his farm in Whitewater.

Jurisdiction switch

Cobb took office in January this year after his predecessor, Amanda Oesch, shifted the jurisdiction away from the county Sheriff's Office and to the state Highway Patrol and Missouri attorney general's office. The AG's office supports a cold case review unit. Sources with knowledge of the investigation say the AG's office did not fully investigate the case. At the time of the original investigation, the AG's Kenny Hulshof prosecuted the case. Hulshof made false or misleading statements throughout the trial, particularly during closing arguments. His role in the wrongful conviction was criticized by the judge who declared Kezer innocent.

Hulshof is a colleague of Kevin Zoellner, who was assigned to look into the Lawless case for the cold case unit. Zoellner also worked under Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle around the time of Kezer's trial. Swingle approved deals to lessen sentences for the informants who were giving statements against Kezer.

Walter's involvement

Walter recently retired from his post as Scott City police chief. In an interview with the Southeast Missourian, the former sheriff said Cobb had invited him to assist James with the investigation. Walter said part of his role could be to make introductions to people he had interviewed during his investigation while he was sheriff.

Mark Abbott awaits sentencing

Mark Abbott was arrested in March 2022 on charges of illegal possession of a firearm. He has been held in prison ever since, having been denied bond because of his criminal history. Abbott pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing, currently scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 16.

According to the plea agreement filed in federal court, officers received a tip from a confidential informant that Abbott had drugs in his residence. Officers raided Abbott's home and found a gun Abbott had hidden under a safe. Abbott, his twin brother, Matt, and Kevin Williams were all charged in a major methamphetamine distribution conspiracy case in the mid-1990s.

In another case of significance, it was determined David Todd, 55, a Scott City resident who went missing in December 2020 after crashing a vehicle in Kelso, Missouri, was driving Mark Abbott's truck. Todd's glasses were found along a driveway northwest of the crash site. He is still missing. Todd lived in a mobile home community owned by Abbott's parents.

Threats on life

In his book "The Murder of Angela Mischelle Lawless: An Honest Sheriff and the Exoneration of an Innocent Man", authored in part by his attorney, Stephen Snodgrass, and published earlier this year, Kezer alleged that former Sheriff Bill Ferrell placed a hit on him while he was in prison. Kezer retained a dated document signed by his former fellow inmate, Gordon Evans, that Evans was offered a payment by Ferrell to stab Kezer in prison. Kezer said he has shared this information with authorities at the AG's office and the Scott County Prosecutor's Office.

In testimony given at Kezer's exoneration trial, Mark Abbott testified that Ferrell and Kevin Williams routinely talked to each other on the phone during the time Walter was investigating the case. When Williams was asked under oath about this communication, he told the court that Ferrell was apologizing to Williams because Walter was investigating him. Mark Abbott told a narcotics officer in 1997 that he witnessed Williams shoot Lawless. Walter has said that Williams conveyed to him that Ferrell alerted Williams to the fact the case had been reopened.