Craigslist Murder For Hire Defendant Waives Right to Preliminary Hearing

At William E. Lawrence's first public hearing since being declared competent to proceed in the court system, he waived his right to a preliminary hearing, which means in effect, he passed up an opportunity to have the judge determine if there is enough evidence to require a trial.

to advertise a $1 million bounty for the murder of any officers on Feb. 29.

He entered the courtroom in the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse, in St. Louis, wearing khaki jail-garb, with CO JAIL printed on the back of the collarless shirt. His ankles were shackled, and he wore slip-on plastic slippers. His hair was close-cut.

When Magistrate Judge Nannette Baker asked Lawrence if he understood the charges against him, he told her he's not a lawyer. She continued, and determined that he did understand why he was there.

She asked him his age (32), and how far he went in school. Lawrence's public defender told the judge Lawrence went through 6th grade in public school and was home-schooled after that by his father.

"Did you have a chance to talk with your attorney about the fact that you did have a right to a preliminary hearing, and you have also signed this written waiver of a preliminary hearing, and buy signing this you stated that you understand that you’ve been charged in a criminal complaint, correct?" Baker asked.

"Yes," Lawrence said.

"And that you did have a right to a preliminary hearing (she cited a law code) do you understand that?"

Lawrence told her he doesn't know the code.

"You don’t understand the code, but you do understand that you have a right to have a preliminary hearing," Baker said.

"Yes," he said.

"And after discussing the pros and cons of having a preliminary hearing, are you voluntarily giving up your right to that hearing?"

"Yes," Lawrence said.

Baker accepted that, and set the date for a status hearing at May 30. The prosecuting attorney told her there would probably be a decision one way or another in the case by then.