KEY POINTS:
Kenny Richey, a Scottish national whose 20 years on Ohio's death row made him a cause celebre for death penalty opponents, will walk free from prison today after the collapse of the murder case against him.
Richey, now 42, has spent more than half his life insisting he had no responsibility for the death of his ex-girlfriend's 2-year-old daughter, who perished in a fire in 1986. Several fire experts have expressed serious doubt that the blaze was set by anybody, much less Richey, and firefighters have testified that Richey made strenuous efforts to save the baby.
He and his lawyers have argued that his conviction was the result of inadequate representation at his original trial, in violation of the Sixth Amendment. In exchange for freedom, Richey will plead no contest to charges of attempted involuntary manslaughter, child endangerment and breaking and entering.
His lawyer said he would have liked to have been exonerated, but preferred to get out of prison now than to wait for a full retrial, scheduled for March. He is due to arrive in Edinburgh tomorrow.
Richey was given an execution date 13 times. One was postponed an hour before he was scheduled to be put to death.
- INDEPENDENT
