Man accused of killing Hermann cop to have jury pooled from Greene County

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Steelville man who is accused of killing a Hermann police officer will have the jury in his murder trial pooled from Greene County.

Kenneth Simpson is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of armed-criminal action, first-degree assault, two counts of unlawful gun possession, unlawful possession of an illegal weapon, possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest in the shooting death of Mason Griffith.

Simpson is being held at the Franklin County Jail, court records indicate. The jury will be pooled from Greene County on Jan. 5, 2026. A hearing in his case is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday, June 26, while a jury trial is expected to begin Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026.

Simpson is accused of killing  Griffith and injuring Adam Sullentrup by shooting them on March 12, 2023, at a Casey’s in Hermann. The case was moved in 2023 from Gasconade County to Franklin County.

Police caught Simpson following a more than 12-hour standoff.

The state of Missouri, on Sept. 14, 2023, filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Simpson.