Midwest Innocence Project

Gov. Mike Parson is expected to sign a bill that could expand the eligibility and payout for Missourians who have been wrongfully convicted and exonerated, as long as they waive their right to sue the state. Experts say the bill is an improvement, but still wouldn't help very many people.

A bill proposed by Missouri state Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer (R-Parkville) would increase and widen the state's compensation for exonerees under the condition they not file a lawsuit. But Tricia Rojo Bushnell, executive director for the Midwest Innocence Project, said the bill still won't fix many of the state's problems.

A crime bill awaits action by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson. Shepherded to passage by Parkville Republican Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, it removes limits on payments to wrongly convicted people.

Opponents of the death penalty want Missouri to abolish the practice. They say it's not a deterrent — the system is flawed and it gives too much power to the government.

Carnes, who is now 52, was convicted of killing 24-year-old Larry White in October 2003 and sentenced to life in prison. The Missouri Supreme Court set aside his conviction earlier this week.

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.

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.

In Missouri, very few inmates released after years of wrongful incarceration qualify for compensation.

Since the state of Missouri will not be compensating Kevin Strickland for the decades he spent wrongfully imprisoned, thousands of donors from across the country are making sure he has the support he needs.

After 43 years in prison, Kevin Strickland’s conviction was overturned but despite his wrongful incarceration, he won't receive any compensation from the state.

The attorney general's job is to seek justice, not to defend prior convictions, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker told KCUR. "They exploited these victims again," Peters Baker said of Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office.

"The Court's confidence in Strickland's conviction is so undermined that it cannot stand," the judge wrote. Strickland's wrongful imprisonment for nearly 43 years is among the country's longest.