By
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Missouri.
Donations are pouring in to help a man who was released from a Missouri prison after a judge found he was wrongfully convicted in 1979 of a triple murder.
Fundraising via crowdfunding platform GoFundMe benefiting Kevin Strickland surpassed its goal of $ 430,000 Wednesday afternoon, and donations continue to pour in.
By Thursday night, more than $ 1 million had been raised.
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Many of the donors expressed outrage that the 62-year-old did not receive compensation from Missouri.
The state only allows pay for wrongful imprisonment to individuals exonerated through DNA testing, so Strickland does not qualify.
Strickland has always maintained that he was at home watching television and had nothing to do with the murders, which occurred when he was 18 years old.
Judge James Welsh, a retired Missouri Court of Appeals magistrate, ordered his release Tuesday, finding that the evidence used to convict Strickland had since been retracted or refuted.
Kevin Strickland after being released from prison on Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021, in Cameron, Missouri.Tammy Ljungblad / Kansas City Star / Tribune News Service via Getty Images
The Midwest Innocence Project organized the online fundraiser in June as they were fighting for his release as they announced that the convict needed help paying his basic expenses.
Organizers praised donors Tuesday, writing that "all funds go directly to Strickland, to whom the state of Missouri will not provide a penny for the 43 years they stole from him."
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Upon getting out of jail, Strickland said, "I can't begin to say all the things I'm thankful for."
On Friday, Strickland will flip the switch to light the Kansas City mayor's Christmas tree.
