JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Supreme Court is considering a Kansas City area man's claim of innocence.
Keith Carnes is serving life in prison without parole for the 2003 murder of Larry White. Carnes insists he is innocent.
Attorneys representing Carnes and the Missouri Attorney General's office argued the case Wednesday before the Missouri Supreme Court.
Supporters said Carnes should be a free man, but the Missouri Attorney General’s office does not see it that way.
Carnes' mother, Eve Moffat, was among the supporters who made the trip to Jefferson City for the hearing.
“I am blessed," she said. "We’re so blessed and I never dreamed it would get this far."
Attorney Kent Gipson, who represents Carnes, highlighted a special master's findings of possible misconduct during the prosecution in arguing for his clients' release or, at the very least, a new trial.
“It’s clear from the master’s findings, which this court must defer to, that the evidence was suppressed and it was not found until after it was too late to be advanced in Mr. Carnes’ 2915 motion," Gipson said.
The Missouri Supreme Court appointed a Judge William Hickle as "special master" to issue a report narrowly focused on the factual findings of the case.
In his 111-page report, Hickle said key evidence was withheld from Carnes and the defense, a claim which Eric Schmitt's argued against in court.
“There’s no evidence that the prosecutor hid it or the police hid it and so it wasn’t unavailable in that sense," Michael Spillane with the Missouri Attorney General's office said.
The special master's report also found a witness named Lorianne Morrow to be credible after she recanted her testimony.
Originally, she said Carnes was the person who shot Larry White to death in 2003 near East 29th Street and Prospect Avenue in Kansas City.
“Morrow’s recantation is amazingly bad," Spillane said. "If you read her deposition and affidavit , it relies on things that were physically impossible."
The Missouri Supreme Court will now take the case under consideration.
While the AG's office declined our interview request, Carnes' attorney spoke with the KSHB 41 I-Team after the hearing.
“You never know for sure until the decision comes down, but I think everything went very well for Mr. Carnes," Gipson said. "We’re going to keep our fingers crossed."
Carnes' friends and family now anxiously wait.
“I pray; I pray to God that he’ll be released," Moffatt said.
The Missouri Supreme Court did not set a deadline to issue a decision.
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