Crime & Safety
Gunter Pleads Not Guilty in Murder Case; Had $213K Civil Judgment Against Him
Thursday, W. Lynn Gunter pleaded not guilty to charges of murder in the death of his wife in their Town and Country home. They had been parishioners at St. Anselm in Creve Coeur. Gunter's former employer sued him for breach of a contract.
W. Lynn Gunter pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge in St. Louis County Circuit Court Thursday morning. As previously reported by Patch, Gunter is accused of murdering his wife Monday at their Town and Country home.
The Gunter's were active parishioners at St. Anselm Catholic Church in Creve Coeur.
Gunter’s attorney, N. Scott Rosenblum, declined to talk about specifics of the case.
Find out what's happening in Creve Coeurwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"I will say generally it’s not a wise proposition for anybody to jump to conclusions in any case," Rosenblum said.
(Read Previous Story: Authorities Say Town and Country Man Killed Wife With 'Instrument')
Find out what's happening in Creve Coeurwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
On Wednesday, Lt. Tom Larkin of St. Louis County Police said he could not say whether Gunter had any financial problems.
Gunter, a vice president for AHM Financial Group, did have a recent civil court judgment against him. A Feb. 4, St. Louis County Circuit Court ruling would require Gunter to pay his former employer, insurance brokerage Huntleigh McGehee, about $213,000.
Huntleigh McGehee’s lawsuit claimed Gunter violated an employment agreement he signed while working for the company. The agreement stipulated that Gunter could not solicit or divert Huntleigh McGehee customers away from the company if he left to work elsewhere.
The judgment ruled Gunter must pay Huntleigh McGehee $167,000 for violating the employment agreement and about $46,000 for overdrawn salary payments.
Gunter and a co-defendant in the case, Michael Behan, left Huntleigh McGehee Nov. 1, 2007, to work for AHM Financial Group. Hunteigh McGehee alleged Gunter and Behan did solicit their customers and diverted business.
Gunter represented himself during a portion of the lawsuit, but later hired an attorney.
The judgment against Behan totaled $527,695.
The defendants in the lawsuit filed a motion for a re-trial on the lawsuit. The motion is scheduled for an April 5 hearing.
In the ruling, AHM Financial was cleared of wrongdoing, but judgments were entered against Gunter and Behan.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.