ST. LOUIS — Three former prosecutors with ties to the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s office are returning to work there under Gabe Gore, who was sworn in to replace Kim Gardner on Tuesday.
A spokesperson confirmed Mary Pat Carl, Steven Capizzi, and Terrence O’Toole, Sr.’s hires late Thursday.
“My priority is rebuilding this office with prosecutors at the top of their field. We are fortunate to have three very experienced attorneys joining our staff with a deep working knowledge of criminal justice in the City of St. Louis,” Gore said.
“They will be able to hit the ground running. That is extremely important given the extreme backlog of cases.”
O’Toole has worked with Gore for many years in private practice and served as the First Assistant Circuit Attorney from 1976-1978. His first day as a senior advisor for the office began Friday, June 2, according to the press release.
Carl became a lead homicide prosecutor during her 14-year tenure at the Circuit Attorney’s office under former Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce and will fulfill that leadership role again beginning in mid-June.
“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,” Carl said.
Carl was twice defeated by Gardner in primary elections for Circuit Attorney in 2016 and 2020.
Capizzi also will return in mid-June as a chief warrant officer. Over the course of his 15 years serving the city, he prosecuted more than 1,000 cases in the Circuit Attorney’s Office, according to the press release.
“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,” Capizzi said.
The additions follow the hiring of Marvin Teer, who returned Tuesday as Gore’s Chief Trial Attorney.
“These hires go a long way to sending a signal that the Circuit Attorney’s Office is prepared to aggressively prosecute those who commit violent crime,” Gore said.