Raising millions of dollars for an American who has been behind bars for 43 years | Abroad

A Missouri court acquitted Kevin Strickland, 62, after 43 years in prison. In 1979, a white jury sentenced African-American Strickland to life imprisonment for three murders. Strickland has always maintained his innocence. There was no physical evidence linking him to the crime and he was convicted only with the testimony of a survivor. However, that woman later retracted her statement.

According to the Washington Post, Strickland had not received any compensation from the US government upon his release. Financial compensation will only be awarded to people who are proven innocent by DNA evidence, which is not the case with Strickland. Since the story emerged, more than 19,000 people have donated at least $1 million to Strickland. While most donations are small in size, a number of companies have also contributed several thousand dollars.

It is not yet clear how Strickland will enjoy the freedom of his newly reclaimed. The 62-year-old American now has health problems and is forced to move in a wheelchair. Moreover, he was not given the opportunity to form a pension or gain any significant work experience. The donations, collected via crowdfunding platform GoFundMe, should give Strickland the opportunity to live his life somewhat normally from now on. According to his attorney Tricia Rojo Bushnell, Strickland also has a financial planner. Bushnell stressed it was “Strickland’s money,” not the financial planner’s money.