Illegal Acts!

During the 1991 criminal trial, Mildred Anderson (sister to Katherine) was placed on the stand as a prosecution witness by Patrick Peters. During questioning, Mildred Anderson provided the one thing that Patrick Peters so desperately needed to produce a conviction, a motive. While under oath, Ms. Anderson stated that Ken Middleton had been hiding from Katherine and her family that he had significant assets in Arkansas. To the members of Ken's family who were in attendance during her testimony, this statement was utterly preposterous. Ms. Anderson’s testimony was equivalent to closing the prison doors on the life of Ken Middleton! No other testimony or evidence was given that provided anything even remotely resembling a motive.

First, we must set the record straight. Katherine Middleton was WELL AWARE of the Arkansas property. She and Kenneth had been actively working over the previous years to build a house on a portion of this land. Construction of this home was well underway and was very close to completion at the time of her death. This very home was within view of Ken’s mother’s house which they visited quite frequently. Katherine had been actively involved in the design and furnishing of this new residence where they ultimately planned to spend their retirement. Further, Mildred Anderson was WELL AWARE of this property and the construction which was taking place. It was no secret. Mildred herself along with other family members had been there just 3 months before Katherine's death. She had even taken the time to photograph portions of the land and property. Ultimately she presented some of those very photographs to the court during the civil proceedings.

Years later, in 1999, Mildred Anderson gave sworn testimony in Arkansas regarding the civil suit. She stated under oath that she and her family had indeed been fully aware of all assets prior to Katherine’s death.

View the documents provided to the court by Mildred Anderson and her attorneys regarding property and holdings of Mr. and Mrs. Middleton. Clearly, she had knowledge of virtually all of their possessions (down to a hydraulic jack!):

In summary, Mildred Anderson clearly committed PERJURY in the 1991 criminal proceedings. This very act of lying on the stand during a criminal trial for the purpose of SECURING THE CONVICTION OF AN ACCUSED FOR MURDER is a Class A felony. There is no statute of limitations associated with this crime. The terms for a Class A felony are no less than ten or more than thirty years, or life imprisonment!

During the 1991 closing arguments of Patrick Peters, he stated that the jury should convict Ken because “for this man to walk out of here at the end of your deliberations so that he can spend the property of Mr. and Mrs. Middleton…” Ultimately, the jury recommended a sentence of life without parole plus 200 years! Three days later – after the trial but well before sentencing – Peters DIRECTED a member of the Blue Springs Police Department to give Mildred Anderson the jewelry worn by Mrs. Middleton. (These gems were valued at $18,700 in 1991.)

To add insult to injury, Ms. Anderson also lied during a sworn deposition in which she stated that she had no knowledge as to the whereabouts of Katherine Middleton’s jewelry worn at the time of her death. She goes so far as to state that Ken Middleton probably removed the rings from his wife’s “cold, dead hands”! This deposition was taken YEARS AFTER she was given possession of the jewelry at the order of Patrick Peters just three days following Ken Middleton’s conviction! Ms. Anderson only changed her story when presented with the transfer of property document bearing HER SIGNATURE (prepared in 1991 when the jewelry was handed over to her by the Blue Springs Police Department) at the civil proceedings in Arkansas.

Overall, the perjury committed by Mildred Anderson along with the clear impropriety carried out by Prosecutor Peters literally cries out for justice!

Attempts have been made on no less than two occasions to encourage legal action in the case of Mildred Anderson’s perjury. On July 16th 2003, prosecutor Mike Sanders was hand-delivered the documentation necessary to substantiate the perjury assertion. Again, on October 11th 2005, Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon was provided the same clear and concise documentation. To date, NOTHING has been done to pursue this Class A felony!

How is it that the very people that are sworn to prosecute crimes according to Missouri Statutes have totally IGNORED these facts? Clearly, there is a conflict. How could any prosecutor involved in keeping Ken Middleton behind bars pursue this action? For Mildred Anderson’s testimony to have been clearly deemed FALSE via a perjury conviction, there is literally nothing to uphold the state’s case against Mr. Middleton!

View the excerpt from Jonathan Laurans’ brief regarding all of the aforementioned.