Former suburban KC police chief sentenced to 18 years for ‘brutally’ assaulting ex-wife
Greg Hallgrimson, the former Greenwood police chief who saved an infant left in an icy pond and later lost his career for beating up the suspect, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for punching his ex-wife unconscious during a domestic dispute in 2020.
Hallgrimson, 53, was jailed in mid-August after a Clay County jury found him guilty on one count of first-degree assault, a Class A felony that carries a maximum punishment of life in prison. Prosecutors said Hallgrimson “brutally assaulted” his ex-wife, as they were residing together, and tried to cover up the attack through manipulation and pressure.
Kansas City police began investigating the assault when it was first reported in November 2021, roughly 17 months after Hallgrimson’s ex-wife visited the hospital and told doctors she fell down the stairs. The injury caused her to black out, and she wound up with a broken nose and fractured eye socket, the police investigation found.
She told detectives that Hallgrimson hit her after she slapped him during an argument. She said he threatened suicide if she talked to police and she was too afraid at first to file a report.
In a statement Friday, Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said the sentence “sent an unmistakable message today that victims of domestic abuse will be heard and supported in Clay County.”
“Despite every attempt by the defendant to manipulate and pressure this victim, she spoke the truth,” Thompson said. “We hope that her courage will inspire other victims of domestic abuse to know that they are not alone.”
Defense attorneys for Hallgrimson have argued that the former police chief was not the initial aggressor, having been slapped first, saying he was within his right to defend himself under Missouri law.
In a motion earlier this month, the attorneys called for Hallgrimson to receive a sentence of probation, saying it was likely any sentence imposed would result in him spending the rest of his life in prison.
Other arguments presented on his behalf included the loss of his job, time already spent in jail, an acceptance of wrongdoing and several commendations earned over his law enforcement career.
Once celebrated as a local hero, Hallgrimson made headlines in December 2018 after he helped rescue an infant whose father left her in an icy retention pond in Greenwood, a community of about 5,000 residents in southern Jackson County.
The child’s father, 33-year-old Jonathan Zicarelli, walked into the police station and confessed to killing his daughter. He said he had been planning to kill her for about a day, after having “bad thoughts,” and told them where they could find her body.
Hallgrimson earned praise for the rescue, including recognition by the Missouri Senate. But it was soon clouded by a Justice Department investigation when federal authorities learned that Hallgrimson beat up Zicarelli in a police interrogation room.
The assault, which was recorded on video, happened as Zicarelli had both arms handcuffed behind his back and ended with cuts to his face and an injury to his jaw.
After the incident, Hallgrimson was placed on administrative leave and later resigned.
Hallgrimson was criminally charged with a felony, and pleaded guilty in federal court. He was sentenced to five years of probation in that case.
Zicarelli, meanwhile, was later convicted of felony child abuse and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
In a previous interview with The Star, the former chief pointed to his actions as a mistake, saying the assault — which effectively ended his law enforcement career — came after he witnessed the horror of a baby floating unconscious in a pond. He has called for police officers to speak openly about and seek help for emotionally traumatic experiences they face on the job.
