Another birthday on Death Row

As I sit in shackles in this hell-hole it is very difficult not to feel anger at the treatment I am receiving from the state of Ohio. It is hard not to recognise the cynical handling of my case and the way in which everything seems to be geared to saving the face of those involved in my prosecution and sentence.

It is now obvious to me that if my release can be made to look as if it was the result of a "legal technicality" then face-saving could be achieved.

But I believe the best way to prove my innocence is by retrial and at the same time lay bare the discredited forensic evidence that has so contaminated my case.

If I had taken the plea-bargain offered to me 19 years ago, I would have been free nearly a decade ago. But I couldn't admit to killing a two-year-old child whom I tried to save from the fire that killed her. I would never plead guilty to something I did not do. This is the double bind of those that are wrongly convicted: they are made to suffer more than those who are guilty.

Cynthia's tragic death has been used in the most cynical of ways to advance the political ambition of those involved in this case. The lawyer who acted for me is on record as admitting he handled my case badly. He's shown integrity. However, he now appears to be carrying the can and seems to be joining Kenny Richey and Cynthia Collins on the victim list.

Nineteen years under sentence of death for a crime I didn't commit is a soul-destroying experience.

It's my birthday today but there'll be no celebration. Amnesty International has sent a card with a CD of messages from well-wishers, which gives me a small lift.

But inside I'm still angry and impatient for the proper trial I've never had. Today there is nothing to celebrate. That will come on the day I'm finally freed an innocent man.

Key dates in Kenny Richey's life

• August 3, 1964: Kenny Richey born in Holland to American father Jim and Scottish mother Eileen. His parents settled in Edinburgh when he was a baby.
• December 24, 1982: Following his parents' divorce, Kenny leaves Edinburgh to live with his father in his native Ohio in the small town of Columbus Grove.
• 1984: After a stint as a photographic salesman, Kenny moves to Brainerd, Minnesota, where he meets his future wife Wendy and joins the US Marines.
• Late 1985: Kenny is discharged from the Marines after suffering from depression. After his marriage fails, he returns to Columbus Grove to live with his father.
• June 30, 1986: Two-year-old Cynthia Collins dies in a fire. Her mother Hope, who had left to go to a party, claimed Kenny had agreed to babysit. He denies this.
• January 27, 1987: Following a four-and-a-half day trial in front of a three-judge panel, Kenny is found guilty and sentenced to the electric chair. An appeal is lodged immediately.
• March 1997: Evidence is presented to the Ohio Court of Common Pleas which his lawyers argued established his innocence. It is rejected.
• 2003: By now, 13 dates had been set for Kenny Richey's execution, but all were stayed.
• January 25, 2005: The 6th Circuit Federal Court of Appeal in Cincinnati overturns Kenny's death sentence after new evidence is produced.
  The state of Ohio is told to release him or re-try his case within 90 days.
• June 30, 2005: Ohio's Putnam County Prosecutor Gary Lammers announces that his office would seek a re-trial in Kenny's case. An appeal against the overturning of his sentence is also lodged with the Supreme Court.
• July 23, 2005: An Ohio court orders Kenny to be moved from Death Row to a low security county jail.
• July 28, 2005: The courts decide to keep Kenny on Death Row until October.