KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri, police officer who shot and killed Cameron Lamb and reported to prison to serve a six-year sentence last month has been transferred to an out-of-state facility.
Eric DeValkenaere is no longer imprisoned at a Missouri Department of Corrections facility, according to online records.
A spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Corrections confirmed Wednesday morning that DeValkenaere “has been transferred to another state,” but said additional details are closed under the state’s Sunshine Law.
TIMELINE | Lamb's shooting death, ex-KCPD officer DeValkenaere's conviction
DeValkenaere, who turned 45 last Friday, surrendered to Platte County authorities after a warrant for his arrest was issued Oct. 17 when the Missouri Appeals Court for Western Missouri affirmed his conviction.
He was transferred to the Western Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in St. Joseph, a state prison, on Oct. 25 for assessment and processing.
DeValkenaere shot and killed Lamb on Dec. 3, 2019, behind his residence in the 4100 block of College Avenue.
A grand jury indicted DeValkenaere on two felony charges after hearing testimony that he and his partner, then-KCPD Det. Troy Schwalm, had entered the property illegally — without a warrant, without permission, and without probable cause that a serious crime had occurred or was occurring.
During a four-day bench trial in November 2021, Jackson County Circuit Court Presiding Judge J. Dale Youngs found DeValkenaere guilty of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action.
Prior to sentencing in March 2022, Youngs ruled that DeValkenaere would be allowed to remain free on bond while appealing the verdict.
DeValkenaere formally appealed his conviction in October 2022.
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office, which handles criminal conviction appeals in the state, dragged its feet before filing a response and then sided with DeValkenaere in asking for the conviction to be overturned, a highly unusual and unprecedented move for such a high-profile case.
The Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed a motion to intervene and defend its conviction on appeal.
A three-judge appeals court panel affirmed DeValkenaere’s conviction in October 2023, revoked his bond and issued a warrant for his arrest.
He surrendered later the same day to begin serving his sentence.
DeValkenaere’s attorneys have subsequently filed a motion for rehearing and applied to have the case transferred to the Missouri Supreme Court, a move Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office once again supported.
The appeals court has yet to rule on the rehearing motion.
DeValkenaere's attorneys also have informally sought a pardon from Missouri Gov. Mike Parson.
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