Bob McCulloch (prosecutor)
Bob McCulloch is a former prosecutor who served as the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney from 1991 to 2019. A Democrat, he was often reelected by large margins and was sometimes unopposed; he was one of the county’s highest-paid officials, earning about $160,000 a year. In 2018, he lost the Democratic primary to Wesley Bell, who ran on a criminal justice reform platform.
During his time in office, McCulloch oversaw several high‑profile cases. In the 1990s he prosecuted Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose after the Riverport Riot and pursued an arrest warrant across the country. In 2000–2001 his office was involved in the Jack in the Box shootings; a grand jury investigation later faced scrutiny after secret tapes suggested the public statements about the case didn’t match what some witnesses testified.
McCulloch became a national figure after the 2014 Ferguson shooting of Michael Brown. He announced that he would present the case to a grand jury to decide whether charges would be filed against officer Darren Wilson, rather than charging Wilson himself. The grand jury did not indict Wilson, which sparked widespread criticism and debate about the process. Some legal experts defended the approach; others argued it was unusual and controversial.
Other notable moments include a 2013 political shift supporting Steve Stenger over Charlie Dooley, questions about enforcing MetroLink fare-evasion tickets, and a 2018 case involving a restraining order against a protester.
Personal details: McCulloch’s father was a St. Louis City police officer killed in the line of duty, and McCulloch lost a leg to cancer in high school. He and his wife Carolyn have four children. His son Matthew is a St. Louis County police officer and was involved in a 2023 incident in Kirkwood, Missouri.
McCulloch’s long tenure was marked by strong support from some and sharp criticism from others, especially over the handling of the Ferguson case.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:08 (CET).