Amanda Cates

Deadly force

Calverton Park police officer Robert Brooks shot his fiancee, Amanda Cates, a school resource officer for Normandy police. Police in Crystal City were called to the couple's home at around 12:30 a.m., and found Cates dead on the bathroom floor. Brooks claimed he'd shot Cates in self-defense while struggling over a gun he said she'd threatened him with after he came home from a night of drinking with another woman who was a part-time Calverton Park police officer. In 2007, Brooks was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. In 2010, the Missouri Supreme Court ordered a new trial after ruling that prosecutors had made improper comments at Brooks' trial about his refusal to give investigators a statement after being advised of his right to remain silent. In 2012, Brooks was again found guilty of second degree murder.