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Man sentenced to life plus 40 years in Missouri cop’s death

Bonette Meeks, 29, was convicted in June of second-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful possession of a firearm and resisting arrest

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Associated Press

Associated Press

CLAYTON, Mo. — A Missouri man was sentenced Wednesday to life plus another 40 years in prison in the 2019 shooting death of a suburban St. Louis police officer.

Bonette Meeks, 29, was convicted in June of second-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful possession of a firearm and resisting arrest in the killing of North County Police Cooperative Officer Michael Langsdorf.

Prosecutors said Meeks was trying to cash a stolen check at a market in the St. Louis County community of Wellston on June 23, 2019, when Langsdorf arrived to investigate and that he shot the officer as they struggled.

Defense attorneys sought a minimum sentence of 10 years, while prosecutors asked for two life sentences plus 17 years.

Langsdorf was a 17-year law enforcement veteran and father of two teenagers.

His parents, fiancé and daughter all testified at the sentencing hearing.

A psychologist testified for the defense about how being incarcerated as a youth had affected Meeks. The five-time prior felon was incarcerated in North Carolina from the age of 16 until he was 24.

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