Man who served 42 years in prison for triple murder is innocent, prosecutor says All those who have reviewed the evidence in recent months agree Kevin Strickland deserves to be exonerated, officials say.
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A Missouri prosecutor released a statement on Monday proclaiming that a man who has been in prison for more than 42 years is innocent.
“All those who have reviewed the evidence in recent months agree
Kevin Strickland deserves to be exonerated,” said Jackson County Prosecutor
Jean Peters Baker. “This is a profound error we must correct now.”
Kevin Strickland, shown in his 1978 mug shots, has served more than 42 years in prison for a triple-murder he did not commit, according to prosecutors who now want him freed. (Midwest Innocence Project)
/ Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced Monday that a Kansas City man imprisoned for 43 years is innocent and should be freed immediately.
Kevin Strickland, now 62, was convicted of a triple murder in 1978 on the testimony of one eyewitness and sentenced to a “hard 50.” Strickland always said he was innocent.
A Kansas City man who was convicted of a 1978 triple murder on the word of one eyewitness must be freed immediately, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said Monday.
Kevin Strickland, now 62, deserves to be exonerated because he did not commit the murders, Baker said. The case against him relied on the testimony of a woman who witnessed the murders and later recanted.
“Reliable, corroborated evidence now proves that Mr. Strickland is factually innocent of the charges for which he was convicted in 1979,” the letter stated.
“This is a profound error we must correct now,” Baker said Monday, according to The Kansas City Star.
Four people were attacked by at least four gunmen who broke into a home on April 25, 1978. Two men and one woman were shot to death, while a fourth woman was shot in the leg but pretended to be dead and eventually survived, KCTV reported.
Police reportedly pressured the surviving victim Cynthia Douglas to identify Strickland who closely resembled one of the attackers as the fourth gunman.
Citing Profound Error, Prosecutor Wants Kansas City Man Immediately Released After 43 Years In P kbia.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kbia.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.