What do public documents say about Leon Lamb as it relates to Mischelle Lawless murder?

On Dec. 20, Leon Lamb became the second person to be charged in the 1992 murder of Angela Mischelle Lawless. Lamb was indicted by a grand jury on charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. He is the fifth person to be the subject of a grand jury relating to this murder.

Lamb is being held with no bond.

Leon LambFaulkner County (Ark.) Sheriff's Office

Lawless, 19 years old at the time of her murder, was a Southeast Missouri State University nursing student who had graduated from Kelly High School.

She lived just outside Benton with her parents while attending school. She also worked at Shoney’s in Sikeston, and attended Unity Baptist Church.

Lawless was found dead in her car around 1:25 a.m. early Sunday, Nov. 8, 1992, on the Benton exit ramp off Interstate 55, less than a mile from her home. She had been shot three times, and was also found to have a gash on her head that produced most of the blood found in the car. Evidence showed a blood trail more than 100 feet down the embankment of the exit ramp. Investigators have explained that it appears Lawless’ killer hit her over the head, which caused the blood trail back up the embankment. Investigators have said she was shot to death after being placed in her car.

Lawless was a social butterfly, known to be outgoing, flirty and feisty. She practiced martial arts.

At the time of her death, she had been dating a boy named Lyle Day for about six weeks, though statements made by witnesses at the time, plus diary entries, show that this relationship did not appear to be an emotionally serious one. However, several witnesses described a fight between Lawless and Day, adding that the fight was allegedly over a pregnancy, and Day had wanted her to have an abortion, which Lawless said she did not want to do. An autopsy showed Lawless was not pregnant when she was shot to death days later.

Lamb had been Lawless’ serious romantic partner for a couple of years before they broke up several months before her death. It was not a clean breakup. They still saw each other as many as several times a week, but also saw other people.

Lamb is not the only suspect in the murder. Others, including Mark Abbott who falsely identified Josh Kezer as being near the crime scene the night of the murder, has made many conflicting statements about the case; has told a law enforcement officer he witnessed another man, Kevin Williams, shoot Lawless; and has allegedly confessed to the murder, all according to testimony presented in Kezer’s exoneration trial. Much has been made of Abbott’s numerous conflicting statements, multiple alleged confessions and statements that conflict with physical evidence from the scene. A grand jury was once held to consider Abbott and Williams, both convicted meth dealers, for murder. The grand jury did not indict him.

But what about Leon Lamb?

Here is a brief review of what’s known about Lamb and Lawless prior to the murder, according to investigative and court records.

DNA evidence

To date, the most relevant evidence against Lamb is that his DNA was found under Lawless’ fingernails. This information came to light when former Sheriff Rick Walter reopened the case and had DNA tests done.

Lamb explained this by saying Lawless must have scratched his back during sex that night before she left his house.

The DNA evidence, plus Lamb’s romantic involvement with Lawless, has been a major obstacle in pursuing charges against other suspects identified in the case. Investigators have stopped short of ruling him out, even as they pursued leads on other individuals.

His statements

In a deposition given in 1993, a day after his 21st birthday, Lamb testified he lived at home with his mother, Brenda Lamb. At the time, he stated his only run-in with the law was a seat belt violation. He graduated from Sikeston High School in 1990.

He said he started dating Lawless in 1989. He said they had broken up in June or July of 1992.

He told the court, “I guess I just wanted to be by myself for a while.” He said shortly after the breakup Lawless told him she might be pregnant. From the time of their breakup to the time of Lawless’ murder, they still saw each other as many as two or three times per week.

He also said in the deposition that he wasn’t aware that Lawless had been dating Day until after her murder. He said the only person he was aware of being involved with Lawless was a person named Tracy Wilson. Lamb said he threatened to beat up Wilson for bragging about being with Lawless.

Lamb said he saw Lawless the night before she was murdered riding around with Eric Shanks, Vince Howard and Lelicia O’Dell in the Malco parking lot. He said he saw her again at a martial arts studio parking around 10 or 11 p.m., with O’Dell. At that time, Lawless and O’Dell were in Lawless’ car, Lamb said.

“She asked me how my (martial arts) tournament went because I had a tournament that day,” he told the court.

“Anything else said?” the attorney, Al Lowes, asked him.

“I’m not exactly sure. I don’t know.”

Lowes asked, “Were you angry with her that night?”

“No.”

“Pissed off at something else?”

“No.”

“Happy as you could be?”

“I guess you could say that.”

“When you drove away from the martial arts thing, how did you drive away?”

“Normal?

“You didn’t spin drive it away?”

“Not that I remember.”

He said he went home shortly after talking to them in the parking lot of the martial arts studio, and about an hour later, Lawless knocked on his door.

In subsequent statements Lamb said disparaging things about Shanks and Howard.

Shanks testified at the trial he saw Lamb in a red car and wanted to talk to Lawless. He said Lawless got out of Howard’s car to go toward Lamb’s vehicle. Shanks described a “small argument out of both of them. ... He just more or less wanted her to go riding around and she told him that she was going with us and he didn’t like that idea.”

Shanks described Lamb leaving like “a bat out of hell”. Shanks described seeing Lamb four or five times that night as they were cruising the strip in Sikeston. He told the court that when they passed Lamb, he did not offer any obscene gestures or try to pull in front of them.

His car

Lamb was the first person questioned after the family was notified of Lawless’ death, according to a deposition given by Brenda Schiwitz, who would go on to become the lead local investigator on the case. Schiwitz didn’t stay long, but returned to the residence with then-Sheriff Bill Ferrell because “the sheriff wanted to ask him a few more questions and also wanted to see if he could look inside his Ford Mustang because when we had inventoried the car, we had noticed that there was what appeared to be mud in the back seat. ...

“We went back to Leon’s house and he agreed to let us look in his Ford Mustang and was very cooperative. The sheriff also asked me to make note of the vehicles that were at the residence at that time and we did that.”

In Lamb’s deposition in 1993, several months after the murder, he told the court he had been driving his 1968 Mustang the night of the murder.

No evidence was found in Lamb’s Mustang, but it should be noted that in Kezer’s original trial, witness Eric Shanks told the court that Lamb was driving a red Escort, and not his Mustang.

No one reported seeing a red Escort or a Mustang near the time of Lawless’ murder. There were reports of a white Escort waiting on the overpass.

Original investigation

Evidence logs and statements given by investigators reviewed by the Southeast Missourian indicate that no gunshot residue test was performed on Lamb, or any of the initial suspects, though blood samples were taken.

They also did not collect any clothing or bedding from Lamb to corroborate his statements that she had been in his house the night of the murder.

No photographs were taken of Lamb and entered into evidence.

It could be inferred that Schiwitz and Ferrell did not notice any obvious defense wounds in places such as his face or neck when they interviewed him, but nothing of the sort was put into a report.

Polygraph

Polygraphs are not admissible in court, but generally they were given more weight in the early 1990s than they are today. They are still used by police as a tool to help determine deception. Four days following the murder, Lamb answered “no” to the following questions as part of an exam that lasted one hour and 28 minutes: Do you know for sure who killed Angela Lawless? Did you kill Angela Lawless? On Nov. 8, 1992, did you shoot Angela Lawless? Right now, can you take me to the gun used to shoot Angela Lawless?

The examiner, D.A. Overbey wrote, “It is the opinion of this examiner, based on the results of the polygraph examination, that Leon Lamb was truthful when answering the above relevant questions.”

Diary

The evidence in the case suggests some physical altercations between Lamb and Lawless. That’s complicated by the fact that both were students of martial arts and were known to spar with one another.

In his deposition, Lamb said, “Yeah, we had arguments where she would push me or I’d push her or whatever.” He said Lawless had previously hit him. He testified he never hit her hard enough to leave bruises on her. Lamb was 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds; Lawless was about 5 foot tall and about 100 pounds.

Diary entries appear to demonstrate the rocky nature of the couple’s relationship. In May, she wrote that Lamb threatened her, followed her to her car and hit her window. She wrote, “I am scared.” She wrote days later, “Found out Leon busted tail light.” In June, she wrote, “Got into a big fight and he pushed me down. I hate him.” A week later, “he busted open finger — kicked him in the nuts, and he threw me. Cried. He apologized.”

Other such entries described Lamb scaring her. But there are as many entries expressing her love for him or missing him.

Gun

Lamb testified he had a .38 caliber gun at his mother’s house where he lived, but it is not the caliber of gun used in the murder.

In one diary entry that has been referenced on social media, Lawless expressed that Lamb met her at the door with a gun. However, the entirety of that diary entry shows that she had gone to Lamb’s that day, “took a nap and loved.” She then went to eat and bowling with other friends. She returned to Lamb’s to “pee and scared Leon. Met me at the door witha gun! Came home. I love him so much. Had a lot of fun!” This might suggest that she had entered without knocking and startled Lamb. The entry does not express a conflict of any kind. Lawless had a copy of Lamb’s keys, according to an October entry. That’s when she returned them.

Criminal past

Lamb has had some minor brushes with the law in Missouri. He was sentenced to probation for a DWI, Class B Misdemeanor in 2007.

Next steps

Sources familiar with the investigation have said new evidence has emerged but did not elaborate on specifics. More information will come out as the case progresses through the court. Allen Moss is the special prosecuting attorney assigned to the case. Lamb does not show an attorney on Missouri’s online database. Robert Zachary Horack is the judge assigned to the case. No hearings have been announced.

Editor's note: Bob Miller is the host of a podcast called "The Lawless Files", which examines the case in depth. The podcast is not affiliated with the Southeast Missourian.