Man charged for $1M 'per head' cop-killing ad

William Lawrence had previous run-ins with Maplewood police officers

By PoliceOne Staff

MAPLEWOOD, Mo. — A man was charged Friday in connection to a Craigslist ad offering $1 million "per head" for dead police officers.

Federal documents state William Lawrence was charged with facility of interstate commerce in the commission of a murder for hire, according to St. Louis Today.

Police traced Lawrence —  who had previous run-ins with officers — after Craigslist provided the name and IP address connected with the ad posting.

In February, Maplewood police went to Lawrence's apartment to look into a neighborhood disturbance, a criminal complaint said. An officer used a TASER on Lawrence, who resisted arrest and was jailed.

Following his release, Lawrence called the police department multiple times to request weapons seized in the search. Police took a shotgun, a rifle and marijuana, an arrest affidavit said.

The ad has since been removed from Craigslist.

It sought to hire someone to kill the entire Maplewood Police Department and mentioned one specific detective by name.

(Maplewood Police Department Image)