Umugabo wo muri Leta ya Missouri wafunzwe mu 1978 yabeshyewe, yakuweho icyaha aranarekurwa. Kevin Strickland wimyaka 62, yakomeje kuvuga ko arengana kuva ubwo yafatwaga afite imyaka 18. Yakatiwe gufungwa muri Kamena 1979. Hanze y’urukiko, Strickland yagize ati: “Sinibazaga ko uyu munsi uzagera”.

Niko gufungwa igihe kirekire cyane ku muntu urengana kwabayeho mu mateka y’iyi Leta, ariko mu mategeko yayo ashobora kutabona impozamarira mu mafaranga. Imibare y’ikigo cya Leta National Registry of Exonerations ibarura abakuweho ibyaha kuva mu 1989, yerekana ko Strickland ari uwa karindwi mu bafunzwe igihe kirekire cyane ku maherere.

Kuri uyu wa kabiri, umucamanza yategetse ko Strickland arekurwa ako kanya, nyuma y’iminsi 15,487 afunze. Abanyamategeko bo muri Midwest Innocence Project bakoze akazi k’amezi kugira ngo arekurwe, babwiye BBC dukesha iyi nkuru ko” bishimye birenze” kubera iyi nkuru.

Mu itangazo, Tricia Rojo Bushnell ukuriye uwo mushinga yagize ati: “Twari twizeye ko umucamanza wese uzareba ibimenyetso azabona ko Bwana Strickland arengana kandi ibyo ni uko byagenze”.

Yongeraho ati: “Nta kintu cyamusubiza imyaka 43 yatakaje akaba atashye iwabo muri Leta itazamwishyura n’igiceri ku gihe bamwambuye. Ubwo si ubutabera”.

Leta ya Missouri iriha gusa imfungwa zakuweho icyaha ku bimenyetso bya DNA, ntishingira ku buhamya bw’abantu, nk’uko Midwest Innocence Project ibivuga.

Uko yafunzwe abeshyewe n’uwarokotse.

Strickland yakatiwe gufungwa burundu nta burenganzira bwo gusubirishamo mbere y’imyaka 50, hari nyuma y’uko ashinjwe ubujura bwiciwemo abantu muri Kansas City bwabaye tariki 25 Mata (ukwa kane) 1978.

Muri iryo joro, abagizi ba nabi bane barashe abantu batatu barabica babasanze mu nzu; Sherrie Black, wari ufite imyaka 22, Larry Ingram, 22, na John Walker, 20. Uwa kane – Cynthia Douglas w’imyaka 20 – yarakomeretse yigira nk’aho yapfuye arokoka atyo.

Mu guhitamo hagati ye n’umusore ukundana na mushiki we, Polisi yafashe Strickland wari ufite imyaka 18 maze nk’uko bivugwa ihatira Cynthia Douglas kumuhitamo ku murongo w’abandi bakekwaho kuba muri abo bagizi ba nabi.

Strickland yabwiye Polisi ko ibyo byabaye we yibereye mu rugo areba televiziyo. Nta kimenyetso gifatika cyashingiweho mu kumuhamya ibyaha.

Urubanza rwe rwa mbere mu 1979 rwarangiye abacamanza bananiwe kumvikana, nyuma y’uko umucamanza umwe w’umwirabura muri 12 bamuburanishije atambamiye umwanzuro w’urukiko.

Ku rubanza rwe rwa kabiri, inteko y’abacamanza bose b’abazungu yahamije Strickland ibyaha by’ubwicanyi.

Hashize imyaka myinshi, Cynthia Douglas yarisubiye ku buhamya bwa wenyine bwashingiweho, yandikira Midwest Innocence Project ko “ibintu bitari bisobanutse icyo gihe, ariko ubu nzi byinshi kandi ndashaka gufasha uyu muntu niba bishoboka”.

Cynthia yapfuye mbere y’uko ahamya mu buryo bwemewe ko akuyeho ubuhamya bwe bushinja Strickland, ariko nyina, mukuru we n’umukobwa we bose bahamirije urukiko ko “yahisemo umuntu utari we”.

Abashinjacyaha batangiye gusubiramo urubanza rwa Strickland mu Ugushyingo (11) gushize, maze – bashingiye ku itegeko rishya rya Missouri – basaba ko ahita agirwa umwere kandi akarekurwa.

Mu mwanzuro wo kuwa kabiri, umucamanza James Welsh yaranditse ati: “Muri ibi bintu byihariye byabaye, urukiko rwanzuye ko guhamya icyaha Strickland bidafite ishingiro ku buryo byagumaho”.

Rojo Bushnell wa Midwest Innocence Project yavuze ko ibyabaye “byerekanye uburyo bigoye cyane izo nzego gukosora ikosa. Umushinjacyaha yemeye ko Strickland arengana ariko byafashe amezi. Ntibikwiye kuba bikomeye gutyo.”

intyoza