Disclaimer: All facts gleaned from the filings stated hereafter are only as truthful as the petitioner. The tone of this article expresses a style of writing historically employed by America’s greatest writers and, as such, is for opinion purposes only. No intentional harm is due. Do not read if the topic of divorce (even your own) causes you emotional distress. Continue at your own risk.
The paperwork is direct, almost spare in its telling. On February 5, 2026, Marcial Amaro submitted a petition in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County seeking dissolution of his marriage to Shirley Amaro, placing before the Family Court Division a record of dates, residences, and requests that now require judicial order.
Marcial Amaro affirms that he has resided in St. Louis County for at least ninety days preceding the filing. The petition states that Shirley Amaro likewise has been a Missouri resident for the required period. They were married on a date set out in the filing and later physically separated on or around a stated date. The document declares the marriage irretrievably broken, with no reasonable likelihood of preservation.
One minor child was born during the marriage, and another child of the marriage is emancipated. The petition indicates that, for the sixty days immediately preceding the filing, the minor child primarily resided with both parents at an address in Eureka. It further states that no other custody proceedings are pending and that no non-party claims custody or visitation rights. Marcial Amaro asks that he and Shirley Amaro be awarded joint legal and joint physical custody, asserting that both are capable of contributing to the child’s support.
The filing notes that neither party is on active duty with the Armed Forces and that no arrangements have yet been made regarding custody, support, or maintenance. It states that each party is capable of supporting themselves and contributing toward attorney’s fees. Marcial Amaro requests that his nonmarital property be set apart to him and that marital property and debts be divided in a just and proper manner under Missouri statute, with neither party awarded maintenance.
Early February often brings with it a settling of accounts from the year just past, and the court’s docket reflects that quiet reckoning. What is set out here is not an argument about history but a request for structure: custody defined, property apportioned, obligations fixed. The law supplies the framework; the parties now submit their private arrangements to its measured pace.
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