KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Supreme Court ruling that could set Keith Carnes free was issued on Tuesday and Carnes got the news a day later.
Carnes was informed by his attorney Kent Gipson of the ruling and the possible legal scenarios during a phone call Wednesday morning.
"The Supreme Court issued a decision in your case yesterday afternoon and they granted the writ and ordered you to be released in 30 days unless prosecutor decides to retry you," Gipson said.
Carnes has been serving a life sentence after being convicted of a 2003 murder he said he did not commit.
"Oh my goodness. You sent a chill up my back. I'm ready to get up out of here," Carnes replied to Gipson.
His legal team went before the Missouri Supreme Court to make the case for his freedom. Their argument said prosecutors withheld evidence in the initial trial. The court was convinced and ordered Carnes' release from prison in 30 days if prosecutors don't retry the case.
For Gipson, the ruling was expected. The speed of the decision wasn't.
"They write up a rather lengthy opinion that takes 30 or 60 days, but 5 days after the argument is ... that's probably a record time for doing that," he said.
A team of lawyers, advocates and exonorees took up Carnes' case to get him free.
One of the groups advocating for Carnes is Miracle of Innocence. The non-profit was founded by exonorees Darryl Burton and Lamonte McIntyre and helps wrongly convicted people transition to life outside of prison.
Carnes is a client of the non-profit and McIntyre said he knows how he must be feeling after hearing the court's decision.
"I feel that same excitement he feels, but I also know that he's afraid because he still has his life in the hands of someone else, so it's a confusing time for him right now," McIntyre said.
McIntyre said what happened to Carnes, himself, and others could happen to anyone.
"The roots of the problem starts in all the investigation work, all the district attorney work, that's when you get a wrongful conviction," he said.
During the phone call with his attorney, Carnes thanked his supporters, attorneys, family and friends, as well as the media coverage his case generated. He said he's ready to move on.
"I'm glad that this is over with, and I hope to see everyone soon," Carnes said.
Attention now turns to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office to see if they'll retry the case against Carnes.
A spokesperson said he doesn't anticipate any updates this week. In a previous statement from the office, the agency said they're reviewing the case and awaiting any additional information from the state supreme court.
