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Sunday, 14 November 1999
article by Marie Parry,which appeared on the front page of The Universe, "Britain and Ireland's best selling Catholic newspaper". Published Sunday November 14 1999
POPE PLEA TO SPARE KENNY
John Paul steps in to save death row Scot.
The Pope has made an appeal for mercy for a Scottish man on death row in America. Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, appealed in the name of Pope John Paul II for clemency for Kenny Richey imprisoned in Ohio.
Kenny, from Edinburgh, has been on death row since 1987 for the murder of a three-year-old girl. The child was killed in an arson attack on an apartment building where Kenny's ex-girlfriend lived. He was accused of starting the fire in an attempt to kill his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. The Scot has always protested his innocence.
The news of the Pope's plea was broken to Kenny earlier this week by Karen Torley, the leading figure in the campaign to secure her fellow Scot's release. The mother of four from Glasgow said: "He's absolutely delighted. He said it was wonderful and he hopes that this will make more people pay attention to his case. Kenny has often asked me to write to the Pope on his behalf. This is very important to him. It offers him hope"
Accordingly to Mrs Torley, Kenny has a big support group on the internet and it is most likely through supporters e-mailing The Vatican that the Pope has been kept up to date with his situation.
In his letter to the governor of Ohio, the Archbishop quoted Pope John Paul II's criticism of capital punishment expressed during his visit to St Louis, Missouri in January this year. Celebrating Mass he said: "A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away - even in the case of someone who has done great evil."
In the Pope's visit to St Louis, he successfully appealed to Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan to commute the death sentence of convicted murderer Darrell Mease. Kenny is hoping that the plea will put pressure on the Governor of Ohio to follow up his case. "Ohio has never seen international pressure like the kind they're getting from this case and they don't like it," said Mrs Torley. "Hopefully this will prompt the Governor and the Attorney General to take action.
?It's an absolute disgrace that he's in prison at all let alone on death row", she said. "I can't believe that he has been in prison this long and yet all his evidence has not been heard by a court - the prosecutors just don't want to admit that they have made a mistake.?Kenny, 35, has always maintained his innocence and two years ago he was a motion of discovery by a high court judge. The motion, which allows his lawyers to gather more evidence for his defence is rarely granted to prisoners on death row.
Kenny's Case is held up by judge's death
Technically Kenny should be entitled to another hearing following the motion of discovery but further developments on the case ground to a halt when the judge who granted the motion died. A spokesman for Amnesty International who has followed the case said "Kenny Richey's case is one the most compelling cases of innocence that we have ever known"
Earlier this year the former US Marine was rushed into hospital suffering from kidney dysfunction, bronchitis and dehydration. Human rights campaigners were outraged after it was revealed that despite the seriousness of his condition his family were not informed of his illness.