KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The legal wrangling associated with efforts to free Kevin Strickland continued Tuesday when a Jackson County judge ruled that Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has no standing to file motions in the case.
After a new law went into effect last weekend, Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney Jean Peters Baker filed a motion in Jackson County Circuit Court Monday seeking Strickland’s release.
Schmitt, who has maintained that Strickland is guilty of the 1979 killings of three people, quickly filed motions in the case on Tuesday.
The three motions included asking for all judges in Jackson County to recuse themselves from the case, asking to transfer the case to a civil setting and a motion to continue an evidentiary hearing.
On Tuesday, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Kevin Harrell dismissed all three claims, siding with Baker’s office that Schmitt’s office should not be a party in the case.
With Tuesday’s ruling, parties will move forward with a hearing set for Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021.
