Missouri Innocence Project
Despite being declared innocent by the prosecutor s office, Kevin Strickland is still doing time for a triple-murder that happened 43 years ago.
The decision means the state s high court will not settle questions about whether a person s innocence is enough to overturn a wrongful conviction.
The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to consider the innocence petition of a Kansas City man convicted of a triple-murder more than 40 years ago, despite the prosecutor’s claim that he has been wrongfully imprisoned.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker expressed disappointment with the high court’s decision in a statement Wednesday morning.
MIdwest Innocence Project
Because of confusion over whether innocence is enough for a non-death penalty conviction to be overturned in Missouri, Kevin Strickland remains incarcerated at a prison in DeKalb County.
Despite being declared innocent by the prosecutor s office that convicted him, Kevin Strickland is still doing time for a triple-murder from decades ago that he was not involved in.
It’s been nearly a month since the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office found that evidence used to prosecute and imprison Kevin Strickland for more than 40 years was flawed, and
“My job is to protect the innocent,” the county’s top prosecutor, Jean Peters Baker, said when she presented the findings at a press conference. “It is important to recognize when the system has made wrongs, and what we did in this case was wrong.”
The Truth Was Known Years Ago: Missouri Prosecutors Now Want Black Man They Wrongfully Convicted Over 40 Years Ago to be Released Immediately
Jackson County’s prosecutors say a Black Missouri man who has served more than 40 years in prison for a triple murder should be released because the evidence used to convict him wasn’t conclusive, The Kansas City Star reported.
Following a lengthy review of his case, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office has determined that Kevin Strickland is innocent in the 1978 killings. Jean Peters Baker, a Jackson prosecutor, released a statement on Monday, May 10, stating, “All those who have reviewed the evidence in recent months agree Kevin Strickland deserves to be exonerated.” He added, “This is a profound error we must correct now.”
By Victor Omondi
A Missouri man, who has been in prison since 1978, was not responsible for the triple murder for which he was convicted, according to the prosecutor whose office put him in jail.
“All those who have reviewed the evidence in recent months agree Kevin Strickland deserves to be exonerated,” Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in a statement released Monday. “This is a profound error we must correct now.”
According to a report by the Kansas City Star, Strickland was 18 when the 1978 shootings occurred inside a Kansas City home. Three of the four shooting victims were fatally injured, leaving one survivor, who was shot in the leg.