NewsLocal News

Actions

Missouri AG’s office says Kevin Strickland is guilty

Kevin Strickland
Posted at 1:58 PM, Jul 12, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-12 14:58:03-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The effort to free Kevin Strickland won’t have the support of the Missouri Attorney General’s office.

In court filing in Strickland’s case made on Friday, July 9, the AG’s office says they remain confident that Strickland is guilty — a claim that runs counter to the viewpoint of others, including Jackson County, Missouri, Prosecuting Attorney Jean Peters Baker.

In May, Peters Baker joined Strickland’s attorneys and the Midwest Innocence Project in calling for Strickland’s 1978 murder conviction to be overturned and for him to be released from prison.

One option Strickland, 61, has for freedom is to receive a pardon, but that appears unlikely.

In an interview last month, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, who has repeatedly denied calls to pardon Strickland, told 41 Action News that he is not convinced Strickland is innocent.

In June, Triscia Bucknell of the Midwest Innocence Project filed a petition in DeKalb County, Missouri District Court seeking habeas corpus for Strickland. Attorneys are set for a case management hearing on Monday.