Eric J. DeValkenaere, a former Kansas City detective convicted in 2021 for fatally shooting a Black man, Cameron Lamb, in his own garage, may soon be released from prison. Missouri Governor-elect Mike Kehoe, a personal friend of DeValkenaere and his wife, announced his intention to commute the ex-detective’s sentence once he assumes office.
DeValkenaere was sentenced to six years but may end up serving only about one year if Kehoe follows through, or if current Governor Mike Parson issues a pardon first.
Kehoe has openly expressed support for DeValkenaere, calling his conviction the result of an “overzealous prosecutor” and vowing to “have Eric’s back.” Parson previously hinted he might intervene, stating he was “inclined” to release DeValkenaere, claiming the case was politicized.
In 2019, DeValkenaere was found guilty of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action after shooting Lamb, marking a historic conviction as the first time a Kansas City police officer was found guilty in the killing of a Black man. DeValkenaere and his partner, in plain clothes and lacking a warrant, approached Lamb after reports of a domestic disturbance.
Lamb, who had just returned home, was backing his truck down his driveway when DeValkenaere shot him, allegedly after seeing Lamb point a gun at the officers. Evidence later suggested that DeValkenaere planted a gun at the scene.
Lamb’s family has been vocal about their frustration with Missouri’s political leadership and their apparent sympathy for DeValkenaere, despite the Missouri Supreme Court upholding his conviction in March. Laurie Bey, Lamb’s mother, expressed her pain over the political handling of her son’s death, stating it reaffirms that “my son’s life mattered.”
A spokesperson for Kehoe has argued that his actions would be based on what he described as an “unjust sentencing” rather than his personal friendship with DeValkenaere, a statement that Lamb’s parents have called deeply hurtful, further straining their belief in the justice system’s impartiality.
