Kevin Strickland

Neither Lamar Johnson nor Kevin Strickland have received compensation from the Missouri for the decades they spent wrongfully incarcerated. That’s because Missouri law only allows for payments to prisoners who prove their innocence through specific DNA testing — which was not the case for either man. A new Missouri Senate bill would change that.

Under state law, Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office isn't required to participate in wrongful conviction cases, but Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker says that Schmitt acts as if his primary duty is to defend convictions rather than seek justice.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker says that Eric Schmitt’s office has been trying "bizarre" and costly tactics to stop the innocence cases of three men who've served decades in prison for crimes they did not commit.

Strickland spent 43 years in prison for murders he did not commit. He said he hopes people use the day to honor all of those wrongfully convicted and urged people to do something to make the state of Missouri take responsibility for his wrongful incarceration.

Washington County Prosecutor Josh Hedgecorth last week filed a motion to vacate conviction in the case of Michael Politte, saying there was "clear and convincing evidence" that Politte was erroneously convicted of killing his mother.

The media's influence has proven significant when it comes to wrongful conviction cases.

Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza is turning a century old, a milestone that finds people examining the iconic shopping center’s past and wondering about its future. Plus, Kevin Strickland talks about how the media covers wrongful convictions.

Missouri's Republican governor is walking back comments that he would not nominate a state health director “who does not share the same Christian values.” And he's defending the state's legal campaign against mask mandates and its controversial law that bans police in Missouri from enforcing federal gun restrictions.

For Kevin Strickland, who was released from prison late last year after serving 43 years for a crime he didn't commit, life on the outside hasn’t been easy. Now, in addition to adjusting to the mundane details of everyday life, he's working to educate others on defects in the criminal justice system.

At 43 years, Kevin Strickland served Missouri's longest wrongful conviction sentence. He and fellow exoneree Ricky Kidd share plans to raise awareness and prevent others from similar fates.

For now, he’s trying to adjust to things that didn’t exist when he was locked away more than four decades ago. Cellphones, for instance.

The two became acquainted while in Western Missouri Correctional Center. Now Kidd works to help Strickland with the challenges of adjusting to life on the outside.