Change.org - Justice for Kevin

Kevin Strickland has been in jail for over 42 years for a crime he didn’t commit. Prosecutors in St. Louis have even apologized to Kevin for his conviction. But to this day, Kevin remains in prison. Why? Because Missouri lawmakers won’t release him. They believe that even if Kevin is innocent, there’s no procedural system to release him. Petition starter Matt believes this is outrageous and started this petition to free Kevin now. Mike Parson needs to free Kevin Strickland, not wait on new legislation to do it for him 1,605 have signed Matt Doty’s petition. Let’s get to 2,500!

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Kevin Strickland is not a criminal, but he is an inmate. A triple homicide landed him in prison, but he did not participate. Based on faulty evidence including fingerprints on a car and retroactive eyewitness testimony, Jackson County prosecutors put Strickland in prison. That was in 1979. He was 18. Now, though the sole eyewitness wished to recant her statements (before she recently passed away), though the current Jackson County Prosecutor testifies to his innocence along with MO senators and Strickland’s own co-defendants, Mr. Strickland remains in prison at age 62.  The Missouri State Senate included a section in a new bill (SB53) that would make it much easier for Strickland to receive his day in court and see freedom again. This is incredible news. But do we want to live in a country in which a clearly innocent person has to sit and wait for new legislation before they can hug their now adult daughter, or spend time with their now ailing mother? Does our government not have a check on clearly wrongful convictions? It does. Missouri Governor Mike Parson could let Strickland go free today if he only were to sign the petition for pardon that is sitting on his desk. Parson has refused to do so despite essentially unanimous bipartisan support. It is unclear why he won’t. We are asking Mike Parson to prove to us that innocence matters, and that freedom is a right, not a privilege revocable without reason. Mr. Parson, you know this case isn’t complicated, and you know that Kevin Strickland deserves to go free. Do your job. For more information, read the Missouri Innocence Project’s report on Strickland here: https://themip.org/clients/kevin-strickland/

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