Jun. 3 Missouri Gov. Mike Parson this week passed on the chance to free Kevin Strickland, a Kansas City man who prosecutors say has spent four decades in prison for a triple murder he did not commit. On Memorial Day, Parson pardoned 36 people, and some Missourians hoped that Strickland, who turns 62 on Monday, would be among them. But the governor's office released their names Thursday, and .
Missouri Supreme Court declines to hear Kevin Strickland case; Jackson County prosecutor vows to pursue justice Updated: 9:44 AM CDT Jun 2, 2021 KMBC 9 News Staff Share Updated: 9:44 AM CDT Jun 2, 2021
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Show Transcript THE RELEASE OF KEVIN STRICKLAND. FOR 43 YEARS, KEVIN STRICKLAND HAS BEEN IN PRISON FOR A 1978 TRIPLE MURDER IN KANSAS CITY TODAY. MY JOB IS TO APOLOGIZE TODAY. JACKSON COUNTY PROSECUTOR. JEAN PETERS BAKER SAYS HE IS AN INNOCENT MAN. IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE WHEN THE SYSTEM HAS MADE WRONGS. AND WHAT WE DID IN THIS CASE WAS WRONG AND SAYING NOW HE SHOULD GO FREE SO TO MR. STRICKLAND, I AM PROFOUNDLY SORRY FOR THE HARM THAT HAS COME TO YOU PROSECUTOR. PETER’S BAKER SAYS STRICKLAND’S WRONGFUL CONVICTION RELIED HEAVILY ON A WITNESS FROM THE CASE THAT WITNESS EARLY ON NAMED STRICKLAND AS A SUSPECT BUT NOT LONG AFTER CHANGED HER STORY DENYING HIS INVOLVEMENT FOR YEARS UP UNTIL HER DEATH. SHE WAS SIMPLY MISTAK
Missouri Supreme Court won t hear Kevin Strickland s case. He s innocent, prosecutors say Luke Nozicka, The Kansas City Star
Jun. 2 Over the last 40 years, Kevin Strickland tried by himself, at least 17 times, to get his claims heard by Missouri courts. He has never received a hearing.
In his most recent attempt, Strickland had well-known innocence attorneys who filed his petition with rare and overwhelming support from Jackson County s prosecutors, Kansas City s mayor and others who called for his exoneration and release. They have determined Strickland has spent four decades in prison for a triple murder he did not commit.
Yet on Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court declined to hear Strickland s case. The state s highest court did not provide a reason in its one-page dismissal.
The Missouri Supreme Court decided Tuesday they would not hear Kevin Strickland’s case, but Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said she would continue to pursue justice in Strickland’s attempt to exonerate himself. The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office – along with the Midwest Innocence Project and international law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner – have been calling for the release of Strickland for months. Sign up for our.