A day of solidarity for Kenny Richey
Wednesday 25th January


A Letter From Death Row by Johny Brown is a play specially written to highlight the case of Edinburgh man, Kenny Richey has spent the last nineteen years on death row in Ohio, USA for what Amnesty International has said is the most apparent miscarriage of justice they have come across. His trial was a farce but served the purpose of getting the State Prosecutor, Randall Basinger elected as a Judge, a position he holds to this day. Kenny has refused all deals to be set free which did not accept his innocence.

On Burns’ Night, Wednesday 25 January, there will be various performances of A Letter from Death Row, the Kenny Richey story. One will take place in the Scottish Parliament at 3pm and another at 6pm the same day at The Stand, York Place, Edinburgh. Simultaneous live readings will take place in Glasgow, Dublin and The Orkneys. In London, it will be broadcast from Resonance 104.4 FM at 7pm. You can listen online at  http://www.resonancefm.com/


Denied Right to prove innocence

"Even though this new evidence may establish Mr Richey's innocence, the Ohio and United States constitution nonetheless allow him to be executed because the prosecution did not know that the scientific testimony offered at the trial was false and unreliable."
During the months preceding 21 March 1997, evidence was presented to the Ohio Court of Common Pleas, conclusively establishing the innocence of Kenny Richey.
This compelling evidence was submitted to support a bid for a hearing to allow Kenny's defence team to show that the case was a tragic miscarriage of justice.
The state prosecution did not dispute the accuracy of the new evidence.
Prosecution Dan Gershutz said, "Even though this new evidence may establish Mr Richey's innocence, the Ohio and United States constitution nonetheless allow him to be executed because the prosecution did not know that the scientific testimony offered at the trial was false and unreliable."
Without setting any reasons, Judge Michael Corrigan agreed, (Judge Corrigan was the foreman of a panel of three judges who convicted Kenny then sentenced him to die by electrocution). He refused the defences request for an evidentiary hearing and dismissed Kenny's appeal. Thus Kenny was denied the right to prove his innocence of the crime for which was convicted.

For full details of the campaign for justice for Kenny Richey go to:  http://www.kennyrichey.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1