ST. LOUIS – Less than a week into the job, new St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore has hired at least four people to join his staff.
Gore was sworn in as the new circuit attorney on Tuesday after embattled chief prosecutor Kim Gardner resigned last month. In recent weeks, Gore has reiterated several times the importance of building a staff of qualified attorneys and professionals.
Hours after being sworn in Tuesday, Gore announced he hired Marvin Teer Jr. On Thursday, Gore also announced that prosecutors Mary Patricia Carl, Steven J. Capizzi and Terrence O’Toole Sr. have joined his staff.
“My priority is rebuilding this office with prosecutors at the top of their field,” said Gore. “We are fortunate to have very experienced attorneys joining our staff with a deep working knowledge of criminal justice in the City of St. Louis. They will be able to hit the ground running. That is extremely important given the extreme backlog of cases,”
Marvin Teer Jr.
Teer rejoins the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office as the chief trial council. Teer left earlier this year after working nearly two years under Gardner.
Teer brings more than 30 years of experience to local prosecutors’ offices, and he’s already addressing cases on the docket. He has also served as a judge in the City of St. Louis and on the Ferguson Commission with Gore.
“Marvin is a huge asset to this office, and he’s already on the job ready to get cases moving and start clearing the backlog,” said St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “I am excited to have Marvin join us in the hard work that we have ahead of us. I know he will work tirelessly to help make St. Louis a safer place to live.”
Mary Patricia Carl
Carl served for 14 years at the Circuit Attorney’s office and formerly rose to lead homicide prosecutor. She will return to that leadership post.
“I am passionate about the success of the Circuit Attorney’s Office and the City of St. Louis. I want to be there and do the hard work of stabilizing the Circuit Attorney’s Office and restoring the public’s trust in the criminal justice system,” said Carl.
Before she was rehired, Carl had been working nearly a year and a half with the violent crimes unit of the Madison County State’s Attorney Office in Illinois.
“We are sorry to see her go, but we know that her efforts toward a safe St. Louis will help the entire region,” said Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine. “We also know that she has a very tough job ahead of her, and admire her public-spiritedness and sense of duty toward victims of crime in St. Louis, so many of whom are waiting far too long for justice.”
Steven J. Capizzi
Capizzi returns to the office as chief warrant officer. He served the city for fifteen years, prosecuting more than a thousand cases in St. Louis.
“It is very important to me that an office I hold so dear is successful. I am excited about the opportunity to come back and assist in returning the office to a respectful and fair cornerstone in the community,” said Capizzi.
Terrence O’Toole Sr.
O’Toole is a longtime colleague of Gore, working alongside him in private practice for several years. O’Toole had served as an assistant circuit attorney from 1976-1978 and will serve as a senior advisor for the prosecutor’s office.
“These hires go long way to sending a signal that the Circuit Attorney’s Office is prepared to aggressively prosecute those who commit violent crime,” said Gore.
O’Toole and Teer are already serving with the circuit attorney’s office. Carl and Capizzi will start in mid-June.