PASSAGE ONE OF THE DAY: "The case against Strickland, who was 18 when he was arrested, was “thin from its inception” and relied almost entirely on the testimony of a traumatized woman who was shot during the murders, prosecutors now say. They began reviewing Strickland’s conviction in November after speaking with his lawyers and reviewing a Star investigation into his innocence claim. For decades, two men who pleaded guilty in the April 25, 1978, murders at 6934 S. Benton Ave. swore Strickland was not with them and two other accomplices during the shooting. The lone eyewitness also recanted and wanted Strickland released. A third suspect, who was never charged, said in 2019 that he knew there “couldn’t be a more innocent person than” Strickland, according to a Midwest Innocence Project investigator."
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PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "Last month, a bill sent by lawmakers to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk would allow Baker to ask a judge to free Strickland. If signed, it would clear the way for innocence claims to be brought before trial courts whenever a prosecutor believes a person is innocent. At the time, Baker celebrated the General Assembly’s action. “My hope is that Mr. Strickland will not need this new fix because his case is before the Supreme Court now,” she said in a statement. “But I will use any pathway available to exonerate and free him.” Parson could also grant Strickland clemency. In May, the governor’s office said it was aware of Strickland’s case but declined to comment further."
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STORY: “M.O. Supreme Court declines to hear Kevin Strickland’s case. Prosecutors say he’s innocent,” by Reporter Luke Nozicka, published by The Kansas City Star on June 1, 2021. (Luke Nozicka covers crime and courts for The Kansas City Star.)
PHOTO CAPTION: Jackson County's prosecutors have determined that Kevin Strickland, who’s spent 40+ years in prison for a 1978 triple murder, is innocent. The Midwest Innocence Project has filed a petition to overturn the conviction.
PHOTO CAPTION: “Kevin Strickland is pictured in an interview room at Western Missouri Correctional Center on Nov. 5, 2019. Strickland is serving a life sentence for a 1978 triple murder that he claims he did not commit. He says that when he has his first parole hearing, he probably will not be released because he refuses to accept responsibility for a crime that he did not commit. “It’s a matter of principle now,” he said. “My life is over. They took all my prime years.” He now uses a wheelchair because medical issues keep him from standing for more than a few minutes at a time.”
GIST: “The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear the innocence claim of Kevin Strickland, even though prosecutors say he has spent four decades in prison for a triple murder he did not commit.
The state’s highest court did not provide a reason for denying Strickland’s petition, which was supported by Jackson County prosecutors who have determined he was wrongly convicted in the 1978 killings in Kansas City.
Strickland’s petition was filed May 10 — the same day Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced that her office, federal prosecutors, Kansas City’s mayor and others were calling for Strickland’s exoneration and release.
In their filing, Strickland’s attorneys argued he is not only innocent, but his trials were marred by constitutional violations. That included allegations that prosecutors deliberately excluded Black jurors from serving at Strickland’s second trial.
Strickland, 61, could be freed through other avenues.
Last month, a bill sent by lawmakers to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk would allow Baker to ask a judge to free Strickland. If signed, it would clear the way for innocence claims to be brought before trial courts whenever a prosecutor believes a person is innocent.
At the time, Baker celebrated the General Assembly’s action.
“My hope is that Mr. Strickland will not need this new fix because his case is before the Supreme Court now,” she said in a statement. “But I will use any pathway available to exonerate and free him.”
Parson could also grant Strickland clemency. In May, the governor’s office said it was aware of Strickland’s case but declined to comment further.
The case against Strickland, who was 18 when he was arrested, was “thin from its inception” and relied almost entirely on the testimony of a traumatized woman who was shot during the murders, prosecutors now say.
They began reviewing Strickland’s conviction in November after speaking with his lawyers and reviewing a Star investigation into his innocence claim.
For decades, two men who pleaded guilty in the April 25, 1978, murders at 6934 S. Benton Ave. swore Strickland was not with them and two other accomplices during the shooting. The lone eyewitness also recanted and wanted Strickland released.
A third suspect, who was never charged, said in 2019 that he knew there “couldn’t be a more innocent person than” Strickland, according to a Midwest Innocence Project investigator."
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This is a developing story: The entire story can be read at: https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article251833728.html
