Biography
Jeffrey Weinhaus was a local blogger and independent newsletter publisher in Crawford County, Missouri, who covered stories regarding allegations of corruption and misconduct within the local police department. Weinhaus ran as a candidate for County Coroner, hoping to win the office so he could reopen two suspicious death cases which he believed were the result of police interaction and buried in a cover-up. A lieutenant with the Missouri Highway Patrol, who was the cousin of the deputy whom Weinhaus accused of covering up the suspicious death, approached Weinhaus in public and threatened him regarding his blog. That same lieutenant then attempted to open a criminal investigation into Weinhaus regarding videos he had made which decry corrupt officials and where he recites quotes from founding fathers that speak of the necessity of violence to prevent tyranny. After sending the video to the U.S. Marshals, FBI, and U.S. Attorney, all three agencies informed the lieutenant that the statements made in it were protected under the First Amendment and were not threatening. Despite this, the lieutenant went to Weinhaus's home investigating the video, and after arriving, claimed to smell marijuana, which he used to justify searching the property. During the search, Weinhaus's camera and computer were seized. After hiring an attorney who demanded the police return the seized property, they agreed to meet Weinhaus at an abandoned parking lot near his home to return the property. Within 13 seconds of exiting his car, Weinhaus was shot in the head by the lieutenant, who claimed Weinhaus attempted to pull a gun on him. It's later revealed Weinhaus had worn a hidden camera to record the interaction, which at no point shows him attempting to draw a weapon. The holster Weinhaus was wearing was not a quick-release one, and experts stated it would have been impossible for him to draw a gun in the amount of time between him approaching the lieutenant and being shot. Despite this, Weinhaus was charged with attempted murder on a police officer. He was convicted of this crime and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
