Lawyers with Attorney General Josh Hawley’s office have filed paperwork with the state Supreme Court to keep a convicted killer from getting a hearing to seek his release.
Ricky Kidd is part of the Missouri Department of Corrections Puppies for Parole Program (Image courtesy of Missouri Innocence Project)
Attorneys for Ricky Kidd were scheduled appear before Jackson County Circuit Judge Sandra C. Midkiff in July to argue his innocence.
That plan was thwarted days before the case was scheduled when the Missouri Supreme Court stayed the hearing after Attorney General Josh Hawley filed a petition.
Hawley argued that because Kidd is not incarcerated in Midkiff’s jurisdiction, she is not empowered to hear the case. Kidd is currently at the state prison complex in Cameron, but was in Kansas City when paperwork was filed on his behalf.
The most recent submission by Hawley’s office contends that a hearing for Kidd can only take place in the county in which he’s held in custody. The document claims he was always in custody on DeKalb County, where the Cameron facility is.
The document notes Kidd had been transported to Jackson County under a court summons to appear as a witness in a case. Hawley’s office argues that temporary arrangement doesn’t constitute custody in Jackson county, and therefore his hearing to seek his release can’t be held there.
There is also no maximum security state prison in Kansas City that would permanently house convicted murderers.
Kidd is serving a life without parole sentence for a double killing in 1996. He co-defendant in the case has since said in court that Kidd wasn’t involved in the killings. A key witness against Kidd has also since recanted his testimony.
And some high-ranking law enforcement personnel have lobbied for Kidd’s release after examining the circumstances of his conviction. In December 2016, Kansas City Police Commissioner Alvin Brooks sent a letter to then Governor Jay Nixon, asking him to pardon Kidd. Nixon declined.
The Supreme Court will determine what happens next with Kidd’s hearing after it hears arguments from both sides January 10th.
