|
|
| Former Death-Row Inmate Looks Forward To Possible Freedom |
| By KMBC |
| Published: 05/15/2003 |
|
Joseph Amrine was convicted of killing an inmate while he served a prison sentence 17 years ago. Last month, the Missouri Supreme Court overturned that conviction, and now Amrine hopes to soon see the light of day, KMBC reported. 'Counting the days? Yeah, I'm counting the days,' Amrine said. Amrine said that when the day comes for him to be free, he wants to sit in a Kansas City park and 'get a mosquito bite.' 'I haven't had a mosquito bite in 26 years,' Amrine said. After all those years as inmate 99948, Amrine is thinking of new numbers all the time. His nine brothers and sisters in Kansas City are on his mind, as are his 50 nieces and nephews. But foremost in Amrine's thoughts is his 28-year-old son, who the former death-row inmate saw most recently in the mid-1990s. As thrilled as Amrine's family is for him to come home, life away from the cellblock is daunting. 'I don't think nobody can be locked up 26 years and expect to go to the streets and fall right back in. I don't think it's possible,' Amrine said. A recent documentary called 'Unreasonable Doubt' took up Amrine's case, suggesting that the inmates who testified against him lied to cut a deal. Before the film was made, Amrine had given up hope. 'I just figured I was going to be executed,' he said. But, armed with years of legal files, Amrine's attorney took one last shot in front of the Missouri Supreme Court in April-- and won. The Supreme Court ordered Amrine freed from the prison in Potosi within a month, unless prosecutors in Jefferson City re-file murder charges against him. The Cole County prosecutor said he is interviewing witnesses again to make that decision. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think