Lawmakers calling for David Spears termination from public defender’s office

A group of lawmakers wants a Missouri Public Defender System employee fired because of his criminal record. 

The Missouri State Public Defender’s Commission is reviewing its hiring policy after it was revealed that David Spears, who was involved in a 2007 rape and murder of his step-daughter, was employed by the public defender’s office. 

Spears pleaded guilty to reduced charges in 2012 and was hired by the public defender’s office in 2016, a year after his release from prison. 

Roughly 15 legislators, such as Joplin Republican Representative Lane Roberts demanded Spears’s immediate termination and changes to hiring protocols. 

The commission held a special session and called for an immediate review of the agency’s policies on hiring people with felony convictions. 

Another meeting is scheduled later this month to discuss potential policy modifications.