Death Row Scot Kenny Richey to Walk Free Today
07.01.08
UK Charity Reprieve, whose Legal Director Clive Stafford Smith has been a member of Kenny Richey's legal team for 15 years, is delighted at the news that Mr. Richey, the innocent Scot who has spent the last 21 years on Ohio’s Death Row, will walk free today. Mr Richey is to attend a hearing at 1pm today in Ottawa, OH after which he will be free for the first time since his arrest in July 1986. He should have been released in time to return to Scotland for Christmas, but was unable to after a heart scare meant Mr Richey was unable to attend the court hearing.
Mr Richey’s conviction was overturned in August, and state prosecutors had previously insisted on a retrial. However, both sides have now come to an agreement that allows Mr. Richey to be freed. The deal sees Mr. Richey accept a plea of nolo contendere to the following charges:
(1) Breaking and entering: This charge relates to the theft of a plant and is unrelated to the death of Cynthia Collins.
(2) Attempted involuntary manslaughter: This charge is made up of four elements:
(i) That Mr Richey was asked to baby sit Cynthia Collins;
(ii) That he agreed to do this;
(iii) That he did not and Cynthia was left alone; and
(iv) That Cynthia died as a result of this
Mr Richey denies the second element of this, but agreed to enter a nolo contendere (or ‘no contest’) plea, which is a legal tool that allows the defendant to be convicted while continuing to assert his innocence, and is frequently used in the U.S. where the prosecution recognises the weakness of its case, but is unwilling to dismiss the charges outright.
(3) Child Endangerment: This charge is essentially the same as the attempted involuntary manslaughter, and has been added to increase the sentence Mr Richey could receive to the 21 years he has already served.
Clive Stafford Smith, Reprieve’s Legal Director said: “After Kenny’s heart scare, it is a tremendous relief to see him finally walk free. This is a great day for him and his family. There should be no mistake that this deal is nothing short of complete vindication for Kenny. The prosecutors no longer accuse him of murder or having anything to do with starting the fire. Instead, they have charged him with, essentially failing to baby sit. For all intents and purposes, he will walk free from jail today completely exonerated – now he must work to get his life back together.”
ENDS
Reprieve media contact:
For interviews please contact the Reprieve Press office on: 020 7131 3609
Alternatively, contact Marc Callcutt, Reprieve on 020 7353 4640, 07747604255.
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