KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Supreme Court is now Eric DeValkenaere’s last hope for overturning his double-felony conviction.
DeValkenaere — the former Kansas City, Missouri, police officer who shot and killed Cameron Lamb on Dec. 3, 2019, in the 4100 block of College Avenue — was convicted of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in November 2021 and sentenced to six years in prison in March 2022.
TIMELINE | Shooting of Lamb, conviction of DeValkenaere
RELATED | Attorney: Jean Peters Baker politicized the DeValkenaere case? Not so fast
He appealed the verdict, but a three-judge panel with the Missouri Court of Appeals for Western Missouri affirmed the conviction last month.
On Tuesday, the appellate court overruled DeValkenaere’s rehearing motion and denied his application for transfer to the Missouri Supreme Court, ending proceedings at the appellate level.
The Missouri Court of Appeals also overruled and denied a similar motion the Missouri Attorney General’s Office filed on DeValkenaere’s behalf.
Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney Jean Peters Baker, whose office tried the case, applauded the decision in a statement:
Today, the Western District Court of Appeals denied all pending motions that challenged the courts affirming the manslaughter conviction of a Kansas City police officer. The ruling today validates again the prosecution of this matter.
Today's decision is based on the rule of law in Missouri and focuses on the merits of this conviction. Others will view these rulings through a political lens. For that, I have no comment.
All 12 Western District appellate judges met in conference last Thursday before ruling on the rehearing motion.
DeValkenaere’s attorneys have until Dec. 6 to appeal directly to the Missouri Supreme Court by filing an application for transfer.
KSHB 41 emailed DeValkenaere's appellate attorney, Jonathan Laurans, to see if he wold file with the state's high court, but received no response.
If no filing is made or if the state’s high court denies the motion for transfer, the Missouri Appeals Court would issue a final mandate that closes the case.
DeValkenaere, who turned himself in after his bond was revoked on Oct. 17, has been transferred to a prison out of state.
His attorneys are seeking clemency from Missouri Gov. Mike Parson.
—
If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
