Unfortunately, he is not the first, nor the last. Kevin Strickland, now 62, spent more than two-thirds of his life in prison for a crime he did not commit. It is the 2th largest illegal prison in the United States, but the state of Missouri will not give him a penny.
This is because state law states that only those whose innocence is proven through DNA and not through an eyewitness are compensated. Strickland was acquitted by the same woman who initially put him in jail.
Since the state will not give him money, the citizens decided to open an account with "GoFundMe" and give it to him either anonymously or (mostly) anonymously. The original goal was $ 1,2 million, but donations have exceeded $ 1,3 million and continue.
"Thank you all for your support! "All the money goes directly to Mr. Strickland, to whom the state of Missouri will not provide a penny for the 43 years that were stolen from him," said the announcement from the Midwest Innocence Project who created the account.
43 years ago, Strickland was 18 out of 19. He was accused of involvement in a triple murder, in which four suspects tied up four victims while robbing a bungalow. The three who lost their lives were 20-year-old John Walker, 22-year-old Sherry Black and 21-year-old Larry Ingram. Cynthia Douglas pretended to be dead and escaped.
The latter managed to meet two of the perpetrators, but not the other two, one of whom was wearing a paper bag on his head. Cynthia described the suspect to her sister's friend and he pointed to Kevin Strickland as the perpetrator. She identified him and he was sentenced to 50 years, without the possibility of suspension. Cynthia Douglas later withdrew her testimony, believing that Strickland had been wrongfully accused.
Writing in the Midwest Innocence Project, he said: "I was the only eyewitness and things were not clear then, but now I know more and I would like to help this person if I can."
Last November, prosecutors began examining his conviction, and on Tuesday, November 23, they approved his acquittal. Judge James Wells ordered his immediate release: "No physical evidence implicated Strickland in the triple homicide. On the contrary, she was convicted solely on the basis of the testimony of an eyewitness of Ms. (Cynthia) Douglas, who subsequently withdrew her statements that recognized him as one of the four perpetrators. "
So Strickland was acquitted after eyewitness testimony and not DNA testing. That is why he will get the money from a fundraiser and not from the state, which deprived him of his freedom for more than 4 decades.
Speaking of Strickland's acquittal, Jackson County Attorney Gene Peters Baker said: "To say we are extremely happy and grateful is derogatory. "It's justice - at last - for a man who has suffered so much as a result of this unjust sentence."