KANSAS CITY MO. (AP) — As of Saturday, nearly $1.4 million was raised for a man who served 43 years in prison before a judge overturned his conviction for a triple murder.
As they fought for Kevin Strickland’s release, the Midwest Innocence Project created the GoFundMe fundraising campaign. They noted that Strickland would not receive any compensation from Missouri and would require help to pay for basic living expenses. Strickland, 62 years old, would not be eligible for wrongful imprisonment payments because the state does not allow people to receive wrongful imprisonment payments unless they have DNA evidence exonerated.
On Tuesday, Judge James Welsh, a former judge at the Missouri Court of Appeals, ordered Strickland’s release. Finding that the evidence used to convict Strickland has since been retracted or disproven, Strickland had received $1.39 million by Saturday afternoon.
Strickland maintained that he was at home watching television when the murders occurred in 1978, when he turned 18.
He said that he was thankful for God’s guidance during his 43-year imprisonment.
