Briton freed after 21 years on U.S. death row

[struggle4progress]

Source: Reuters

Mon Jan 7, 2008 5:15pm EST

CHICAGO (Reuters) - ... An appeals court overturned his conviction in August, saying Richey received inadequate legal representation amid several doubtful pieces of evidence.

Richey agreed to plead no contest to attempted involuntary manslaughter, child endangering and breaking and entering, giving him his freedom but with the stipulation that he leave the United States. In pleading no contest, the defendant concedes the charges alleged without admitting guilt ...


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0741898420080107

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Briton is freed after 21 years on death row
Severin Carrell, Scotland correspondent
Tuesday January 8, 2008
The Guardian

... The deal means Richey cannot claim compensation from the state of Ohio. Although he has signed an exclusive deal with a Sunday newspaper, he has no job in the UK, and his supporters believe he faces a difficult future ...

Kenny Richey was born in the Netherlands to an American father and Scots mother. Four years after moving to America, the former US marine was implicated in a fire in Ohio which killed a toddler. He denied the charges but was sentenced to death. After a stay of execution in 1987, his appeals were twice rejected. In 1994, an execution was stayed an hour before he was due on the electric chair. Witnesses then retracted statements implicating him. A further appeal was denied and another execution stayed. His appeal was reheard and upheld last August.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2236978,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

Scot who spent 20 years on death row is free
By Andrew Gumbel in Los Angeles
Published: 08 January 2008

... Richey, 43, was escorted last night from the Putnam County jail in north-west Ohio to the local court where he entered a plea of no contest on charges of attempted involuntary manslaughter, child endangerment and breaking and entering. His lawyers says he does not believe he committed any of those offences but preferred to plead no contest now rather than wait several more months to face a full trial. The plea, which is not an admission of guilt, resulted in him being sentenced to 21 years – time already served.

Back in 1986, Richey was accused of deliberately setting a fire that killed the two-year-old daughter of a former girlfriend. His lawyer at the time failed to present any exonerating evidence and did not question the prosecution contention that the girl died as the result of arson.

Over the years, as civil rights lawyers and death penalty opponents became interested in his case and started campaigning, he successfully demonstrated that there was no conclusive evidence the fire was arson at all and that he actually made strenuous efforts to save the baby ...

In his 20 years on death row, he faced 13 appointments with the executioner and, on one occasion, came within an hour of being killed by lethal injection. He has suffered ill health in prison, including at least one heart attack ...

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article3318009.ece

Death row Brit released from US jail
Jacqui Goddard in Ottawa, Ohio | January 08, 2008

... In August last year the sentence was overturned with a retrial on the same charges scheduled for March. However, during yesterday’s plea deal he admitted to reneging on a promise to babysit Cynthia on the night she died — leaving her to die alone when fire broke out — but not to killing her by setting the fire himself.

On his release he thanked his supporters. When asked what he was going to do now, he said: “I’m going for some nookie. I’ve not had any for 21 years.” ...

Mr Richey has been told by prosecutors that they have received death threats against him and his lawyer. As part of the deal, in which he pleaded no contest to charges of child endangerment and involuntary manslaughter, Mr Richey has been ordered to leave Putnam County, Ohio, where the crime occurred, within 24 hours ...

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23021953-2703,00.html

Former death row inmate released from jail after entering pleas
By JOHN SEEWER Associated Press Writer
Published on Monday Jan 07, 2008

... At the jail, Richey thanked his family and supporters who helped him and shook hands with a few members of the news media who were there.

He said he planned to get a "lager." ...

Richey had turned down every offer linking him to the fire, instead entering his pleas to charges accusing him of telling the toddler's mother he would baby-sit the girl, but failing to do so and leaving her in harm's way.

He turned down a plea deal soon after his arrest in 1986 that would have got him out of prison years ago. And while in prison, he said no again when prosecutors offered to free him if he would admit starting the fire ...

http://www.ohio.com/news/ap?articleID=326851&c=y

Briton released from US death row after 21 years

CHICAGO (AFP) — ...

He was initially found guilty of having set the blaze in a fit of jealous rage over an ex-girlfriend who lived downstairs ...

Richey's plea in no way indicated he was directly responsible for the fire or the child's death, Parsigian told AFP in a telephone interview from the restaurant where Richey was celebrating his release with his family.

"All it means is she asked him to babysit, he agreed to babysit, he failed to babysit and she ended up dying." ...

"There's no question he'll come back to the US," Parsigian said citing Richey's many family ties here. "But he'll never come back to Putnam County, Ohio."

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h5r_lg-8mhT4nwn_g8CSSeyH0x1g

Article published Sunday, January 6, 2008
PUTNAM COUNTY CASE
Mom plans Richey's return to Scotland
National dish, diet to welcome son

By JIM PROVANCE
and JENNIFER FEEHAN
BLADE STAFF WRITERS

Kenneth Richey's first meal at home in his mother's small flat in Scotland will be a childhood favorite that isn't likely to have appeared on the menu of Ohio's death row - haggis.

But once he's finished with the meal of stuffed sheep stomach, turnips, and potatoes - a meal he requested - his mother, Eileen, has another treat for him. A diet.

"He's going to have to lose weight," she said. "That's my plan." ...

As a dual U.S.-British citizen, Richey is eligible for free national health care in the United Kingdom ...

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080106/NEWS17/801060344/0/NEWS14

‘You will burn in hell’ Richey told as he is finally freed
WILLIAM TINNING and BRIAN DONNELLY

The aunt of Cynthia Collins was unforgiving yesterday as a court agreed to the release of death row Scot Kenny Richey.

Valerie Binklay broke down in tears amid an emotional outburst as she attempted to read a six-page victim-impact statement at Richey's long-awaited appeal hearing ...

ddressing Putnam County Common Pleas Court in Ottawa, Ohio, Ms Binklay said: "How do you go about putting into words what a two-year-old means?"

Turning and pointing to Richey, less than 10ft away, Ms Binklay said: "I have six pages here. I know I can't make it through it. But I want you to know you've fooled nobody no more. Nobody. You will burn in hell." ...

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.1948555.0.You_will_burn_in_hell_Richey_told_as_he_is_finally_freed.php

[Diclotican]

1. struggle4progress

struggle4progress

How many others are there, who are on death row, but Innocent in the crime they are convicted of?... How many others have been killed by the state. Because the STATE have not going true all prove, or all evidence, because THEY BELIEVED they have the man who had committed the crime?

This man was maybe not a angel, but he was Innocent in THIS crime... And 21 year later he is free... 21 YEAR with the fact that he one day can be killed for a crime he never committed, and was not doing..
And I Will almost bet that "someone" in the criminal system KNOW that this man was Innocent, and therefore was sitting 21 year, on death row for nothing.. How many million of US dollar are "enough" to pay back the injustice he had experienced..?. 20 30 40 millions.. And a "sorry for the mishap" from the court maybe?


Are it to difficult to stop the use of death penalty in US all toghter - US have doing that before, and can do it again..

As it looks, I am NOT for death penalty, anyhow anywhere because it is just criminal injustice to kill some.. Even the worst of the worst.. If they are to bad to coming out, it exist institution who can care, or hold them inside the walls, not outside the walls.. If "irrelevant" European can do it, so can US do it.. And US are a superpower!!

Diclotican

Sorry my bad English, not my native language

[struggle4progress]

2. More and more people here are realizing that there are innocent people on death row.

Efforts to free innocent people are increasing, and at the state level there are a number of indications that public support for the death penalty is decreasing

Meanwhile, unfortunately, partly as a result of the December 2000 coup d'etat, our federal courts have been packed with rightwing authoritarian judges who support the state in matters such as imprisonment without trial, torture, and execution

I expect progress towards abolition will continue slowly across the country, but it seems to be a fact in US politics, that major changes in established practices only occur when overwhelming majorities support the change. I am afraid that in states, like Texas, where support for the death penalty remains moderately high, executions will continue for many years

[Diclotican]

3. struggle4progress

struggle4progress

True, it Will take some time before US abolished the WHO death penalty thing I am Afraid.. But as long as people are starting to act, and thing for them self that this is wrong, and act as that, I do believe that in time even US Will stop the use, and maybe even have a museum, where future generation Will se what US was doing, for a long time, but ended as they grow up and decided that criminals need to be treated different. I don't believe they should given free rein, but death penalty is just not the answer.. Specially when so many are innocent..

When it come to it, US are a wherry young country, who are not "grown up". And they maybe need some parental guidance from "the old continent" sometimes? Even RUSSIA who have not that care for what the world are saying of them, have abolished the use of death penalty.. Even that prisoners in theory can be judged to the penalty.. It Will always be commuted to life in prison...

Diclotican

Sorry my bad English, not my native language

[struggle4progress]

4. The state of New Jersey very recently abolished the death penalty

and all death sentences were commuted to life in prison, so there is some reason to remain hopeful

[Diclotican]

5. struggle4progress

struggle4progress

Yes I know, and it was GREAT to read it. It was even in the biggest Norwegian newspaper, as it was in all european newspaper I guess.. And it was too in the news in TV and radio..

So I do hope it is time to se that the death penalty sometimes down the road, are abolished, even in US.. But it Will take some time - long time

Diclotican

Sorry my bad English,not my native language

[dipsydoodle]

6. You manage ok.

Your english I mean :toast:

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

7. even apartheid South Africa could do it!

and they went from hanging 120+ people a year to zero, de Klerk just shut it down - a court ruling made it offical and permanent a number of years later.

The frontier mentality never seems to die in this society.

[Skittles]

8. horrible to see it exists on DU

very, very ugly

[Diclotican]

9. policypunk

policypunk

When South Africa managed it then US can do it. If they have a brave president who are doing the right thing, and manage to tell the to the public.. That death penalty are just dead wrong... And a Court ruling can made it official even for US. If the same president, or the next president just dear to do so.. And have the support in Congress and Senate.. What some right wingers on the fringes was thinking should not be in concern for the middle group...

Well, I doubt it have something with "the frontier mentality" Death Penalty are just bad.. The same mentality have given US, and the world many of the finest thing to. In US it is never a problem, when you do have a problem, for the most american just find a way around the problem... And that is a attitude who have given US, and the world a lot of thing to be proud about...

US is a amazing place, but today it is a dark place. I just hope than in time US would wake up, and work for the better good, both for US and for the rest of the world. If US just want to work together with europe,and all other, we can do the right thing, and manage a whole lot of thing..

Diclotican

Sorry my bad English, not my native language