Represented by former Stoddard County prosecutor Ex-boyfriend enters not guilty plea in Lawless case

Leon Lamb entered a plea of not guilty Feb. 10 for charges in the 32-year-old murder case of Mischelle Lawless.

Lawless was killed Nov. 8, 1992 at the Interstate 55 exit ramp near Benton in Scott County. She was found shot three times. An assault occurred outside of the car about 100 feet down the exit embankment, where blood had pooled in the grass. She was a nursing student at Southeast Missouri State University and a waitress at Shoney’s in Sikeston.

Lamb was her ex-boyfriend. He is the last person known to have seen Lawless alive. He has told investigators she stopped at his house and they had sex before she left to go home.

Josh Kezer was convicted as a teenager then exonerated of the crime 16 years later. His attorneys, including Charlie Weiss who is now representing Lamb, demonstrated that Kezer was innocent by presenting witnesses who recanted testimony from their original statements. They also presented witnesses who testified that Mark Abbott or Kevin Williams confessed to being present at the murder scene and implicating the other. Kezer’s team also showed that Scott County law enforcement and prosecutors violated his constitutional rights by not handing over exculpatory evidence, including notes that were said to have been destroyed, which included a list of suspects. Also withheld from Kezer’s defense was a report that Mark Abbott implicated another man named Ray Ring.

Russ Oliver, a former Stoddard County prosecutor and the attorney leading Lamb’s defense, said Lamb is ready to take on the litigation process.

“Our team is ready to vigorously defend Leon in court against these allegations,” Oliver said. “We firmly believe that after 32 years and after the conviction of an innocent man, they once again have charged the wrong man. Charlie and I are here to fight to ensure that history does not repeat itself.”

Lamb was indicted Dec. 20 on first-degree murder and armed criminal action charges.

Special prosecutor Allen Moss, former law partner with Scott County Prosecuting Attorney Don Cobb, is representing the state of Missouri on the case.

Lamb’s arraignment was held at the Scott County Courthouse in Benton.

Oliver filed a motion to dismiss count two of armed criminal action in the case, a change of judge and venue and a motion to submit casings and projectiles to the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network.

According to the motion-to-dismiss document, Oliver states Missouri caselaw is clear the prosecution of the felony of armed criminal action is limited to three years “because armed criminal action is an unclassified code felony and cannot be designated a class A felony”. In his filing regarding submitting casing to the NIBIN system, Oliver asked that the three handgun shell casings and three projectiles recovered from the crime scene and Lawless’ body be entered into the NIBIN system.

The filing regarding the NIBIN system states Sikeston Department of Public Safety has a NIBIN terminal, and according to Lamb’s knowledge, the casings held in evidence have not been entered into the NIBIN system.