JEFFERSON CITY — Today (8-14), in a two-page letter to St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch, Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, requested that McCulloch recuse his office from the investigation into the murder of Michael Brown so that a special prosecutor can be appointed to oversee the investigation.

Senator Nasheed explained, "This racially charged climate demands an independent investigation, and to be perfectly blunt, the African-American community has no confidence that your office can carry out an impartial investigation and prosecution."

She cited several reasons for this lack of confidence, including McCullochs' failure to bring charges against police officers accused of murdering two African American men in 2000 - even in the face of the findings from an independent U.S. Attorney Office investigation that those officers had lied about their behavior and fired 20 shots into the unarmed victims' vehicle.

Nasheed also criticized McCulloch's active participation in St. Louis County's recent racially-polarizing Primary Election and appealed to McCulloch not to further divide the community by stating, "For the good of the entire St. Louis community I call on you to show statesmanship and step aside in this matter."

The full text of the letter is available below and online at www.scribd.com/doc/236812943/Nasheed-Calls-for-Special-Prosecutor-to-Investigate-Murder-of-Michael-Brown.

In conjunction with the letter, Sen. Nasheed launched an online petition this morning at www.PetitionForJustice.com to gather further support for the appointment of an independent prosecutor.

The petition reads: "The death of Michael Brown at the hands of Ferguson, MO, police has stoked tensions and caused unrest across our community, state and nation. This racially charged climate demands an independent, impartial investigation that the St. Louis County Prosecutor's office simply cannot provide.”