ST. LOUIS — The expected departure of the city’s chief trial prosecutor could throw potentially dozens of criminal cases in limbo as an understaffed circuit attorney’s office struggles to keep up with its caseload.
Marvin Teer, 60, will soon leave the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Circuit Attorney’s Office to spend more time with his family, an office spokeswoman confirmed Thursday.
He came out of retirement in 2021 to join an office that has struggled to keep people on staff and lost hundreds of combined years of experience prosecuting crimes in ºüÀêÊÓƵ. Teer was tasked with training young attorneys and handling prominent cases, including a triple murder, the alleged murder-for-hire of a pregnant teacher and the killing of a ºüÀêÊÓƵ police officer.
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Now, it is unclear who will take over those and other high-profile cases as just five prosecutors are left handling hundreds of the city’s most serious felony cases.
A spokeswoman for the circuit attorney’s office did not respond Friday to questions about the office’s plans to redistribute Teer’s workload but said Thursday he would “continue to be an asset to the office.â€
“As the office transitions his role, he will continue to provide support,†the statement said.
Teer’s departure comes at a tumultuous time for Gardner’s office, as a bill moving through the Missouri Statehouse would strip Gardner of most of her power, and the Missouri Attorney General has filed suit to remove her from office.
Teer was a city prosecutor in the 1990s and later worked in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office under Jay Nixon. He then served as a commission counsel for the Missouri Supreme Court, a special prosecutor and an assistant city counselor. He was also a traffic court judge and an administrative law judge.
He came to the circuit attorney’s office because he wanted to help lead an “amazing, young team of lawyers†and because he loved trying cases, he told the Post-Dispatch in 2021.
He quickly took on some of the office’s biggest cases, including Stephan Cannon, who was convicted last year and sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting retired ºüÀêÊÓƵ police Capt. David Dorn.
Dorn’s wife, Ann Dorn, said Friday her family felt “lost†in the system dealing with an office that has been routinely criticized for keeping victims in the dark. But when Teer took over, it was completely different, she said. He called them with updates about the case and worked hard for a guilty verdict.
She said she worried other families will fall through the cracks without his diligence.
“I got my justice because of Marvin,†she said. “It’s going to be a huge loss for the city.â€
As of last month, Teer’s docket showed he was handling 84 cases, including 55 murder or manslaughter cases, though he is the lead prosecutor much fewer than that. He picked other cases up to monitor and assist after another prosecutor suffered a medical emergency in court.
On Thursday, rumors about Teer’s expected departure spread quickly through the courthouse. Teer declined to comment or confirm that he was leaving, but at 9:15 p.m., a spokeswoman confirmed he would “transition†from his role.
“Judge Marvin Teer has been an invaluable leader at the (circuit attorney’s office), and has led his team with integrity,†the statement said. “We wish him the best as he transitions from our office to spend more time with his family.â€
Many reacted to the news online, expressing dismay over continued turnover in Gardner’s office.
One of those who unsuccessfully ran against Gardner in the 2016 Democratic primary and left the office in 2018. He said he was dismayed to see an experienced, respected person like Teer leaving the office and said he hoped Gardner would accept assistance from former prosecutors like him or from other offices that have offered to help.
“(The prosecutor’s office) is sacred to me,†he said. “And so when I see these things, particularly the level that we’re at now, it’s really just devastating to watch.â€