New motions filed in Mischelle Lawless murder case, according to court documents

SCOTT COUNTY, Mo., (KBSI) — Online court documents show that new motions have been filed in the Mischelle Lawless murder case.

According to online court documents, special prosecuting attorney Allen Moss filed two motions, Wednesday.

This comes as authorities prepare to bring Lawless’ former boyfriend Leon Lamb — now charged with first degree murder in connection to Lawless’ killing — back to Missouri.

Lawless was found brutally murdered near the Benton overpass in Scott County back in November of 1992 — she was 19 years old.

The first motion is for a protective order which would disallow attorneys and the defendant from leaking any discovery materials or evidence in the case. Evidence, reports, and witness information would be limited to the attorneys on the case and the defendant.

Moss writes that the 32-year old cold case has received extreme media attention over the years — the subject of news segments, true crime podcasts, and social media. His concern is that discoverable information leaked to media sources could lessen the chance of finding a jury pool that could be impartial and fair.

Also, identification of witnesses would place the witnesses at an increased risk of harm due to the public’s interest in the case.

The second motion is for an extension of time to respond to the defendant’s disclosure request.

Moss writes that 14 days is not enough time to gather the discovery material in the case, which has been handled by multiple law enforcement agencies over the years.

The State is requesting at least 30 days to respond to the motion for discovery.

Moss tells FOX23 that protecting the integrity of the case and finally seeing justice is his top priority.