An experienced judge and attorney hired to bring stability to St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office is intending to resign.
The resignation is a blow to Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who is already facing significant turnover and understaffing. The Missouri attorney general has filed a quo warranto petition seeking to remove her from office.
Post-Dispatch columnist Tony Messenger, who’s been somewhat sympathetic to Gardner, predicted bad things on Twitter last night.
“This is as close to the end for Kim Gardner as it gets,” he wrote. “Teer was a stabilizer who brought cover amid constant turnover and mismanagement.”
In a statement, Gardner’s office said, “Judge Marvin Teer has been an invaluable leader at the CAO, and has led his team with integrity. Judge Teer will continue to be an asset to the office and as the office transitions his role, he will continue to provide support. We wish him the best as he transitions from our office to spend more time with his family.”
Teer joined the office in 2021 as the office's chief trial assistant and observers hoped he’d bring stability after years of chaos and turnover.
His highest profile case was the July 2022 trial of Stephan Cannon, the man accused of killing former police officer David Dorn two years prior as Dorn tried to stop looting that occurred amid the upheaval following the murder of George Floyd.
Teer won convictions against Cannon on all counts, as well as thanks from Dorn's widow, Ann, and a string of positive press for Gardner's office.
Teer is currently listed as co-counsel on significant prosecutions, including at least six murder cases which have hearings or conferences before the court in the next week.
It's not clear when Teer will depart the CAO or who will pick up his caseload when he does.
It's not clear when Teer will depart the CAO or who will pick up his caseload when he does. The Post-Dispatch reported last night that Gardner’s office has just five prosecutors to handle hundreds of cases.
Teer had been personally handling five murder cases at the time of his resignation, according to online court records at CaseNet.
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