Over R3.6 Million Raised for Man Who Spent 43 Years in Prison for Crimes He Did Not Commit
- Kevin Strickland was sentenced to 50 years in prison without parole over three murders
- A witness who implicated him later changed her statement, and he was released after 43 years in prison
- The state said he would not be compensated, and well-wishers stepped up and raised over R3.6 million, surpassing the targeted R2.2 million
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A man who spent 43 years in jail for crimes he did not commit has been released from prison.
Source: UGC
Kevin Strickland, from Missouri in the US, was released on Tuesday, November 23, after his conviction was set aside.
Judge James Welsh set aside the conviction of 62-year-old Strickland, who was convicted of three murders.
He received a 50-year sentence without the possibility for parole but maintained his innocence.
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Strickland falsely identified
Speaking upon release, the wheelchair-bound man expressed gratitude to his lawyers and those who listened to him.
"Still in disbelief. I didn't think this day would come," he said.
CNN reports that Strickland's confinement is one of the longest wrongful imprisonments in the US.
Four people were shot during the incident on April 25, 1978, resulting in three deaths.
The only survivor of the crime, Cynthia Douglas, who died in 2015, testified that Strickland was at the scene of the triple murder, and he was sentenced in 1979.
However, she later said she made a mistake and falsely identified Strickland.
Fundraiser
Upon his release, the Midwest Innocence Project said the State of Missouri would not compensate him for the time he spent in prison.
They set up a GoFundMe page seeking to raise R2.2 million for him to restart his life.
However, at the time of publishing this, well-wishers had raised over R3.6 million.
Man gets R414 million
In a similar story, a Man wrongfully jailed for 22 years was awarded R414 million.
Eddie Bolden, now aged 51, was convicted in 1994 for killing two people in Chicago, US. However, it was later established that he was wrongfully imprisoned after he served 22 years in jail.
Bolden was freed in 2016 and sued Chicago, and a jury ordered the city to pay him R414 million.
Source: Briefly News
Maryn Blignaut (Human-Interest HOD) Maryn Blignaut is the Human Interest manager and feature writer. She holds a BA degree in Communication Science, which she obtained from the University of South Africa in 2016. She joined the Briefly - South African News team shortly after graduating and has over six years of experience in the journalism field. Maryn passed the AFP Digital Investigation Techniques course (Google News Initiative), as well as a set of trainings for journalists by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at: maryn.blignaut@briefly.co.za
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
