$1.4M RAISED FOR MISSOURI MAN JAILED FOR 43 YEARS

Kevin Strickland left a Missouri prison penniless Tuesday after serving more than 40 years for a triple murder that he did not commit, but more than 20,000 strangers have donated more than $1.4 million to an online fundraiser to help his re-entry to society.

He was exonerated without DNA evidence, which disqualified him from being compensated by the state, despite spending decades behind bars, his lawyers said.

Strickland, 62, said Friday that the community did not owe him anything for his wrongful imprisonment.

“The courts failed me, and that’s who should be trying to make my life a little more comfortable,” he said. “I really do appreciate the donations and contributions they made to try to help me acclimate to society.”

Strickland said the four days back in Kansas City had been overwhelming.

The sprawl of highways was especially dizzying, he said during a phone call while headed to the Independence Center shopping mall to spend $25 that someone had given him. He said he planned to buy a bag of cough drops and a shower cap.

The online fundraiser, organized by the Midwest Innocence Project, was set up by Tricia Rojo Bushnell, one of his lawyers and the project’s executive director. Bushnell said she routinely raises funds for newly released clients, but the amount raised for Strickland was a surprise.

“I think for all of us it’s hopeful, right?” Bushnell said. “Until the system has changed where the system is failing, the community is stepping in to fix it, to fill the void. It’s pretty amazing.”

Strickland does not yet have a bank account, a phone or a form of government identification. For now, he is staying at a brother’s house.

Kevin Strickland