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Convicted murderer Patricia Prewitt has been claiming innocence for over 24 years, and may soon be vindicated. KSMU’s Royal Yates reports.
Law students at Washington University in St. Louis have conducted extensive research on the case of Patricia Prewitt. Prewitt was convicted of killing her husband in their home in 1984. They’ve begun a petition that will soon be presented to Missouri Governor Jay Nixon pleading for her sentence to be commuted.
Democratic State Representative John Burnett of Kansas City presented the petition to the General Assembly. Sixty-two lawmakers signed with him in agreement.
Burnett says this isn’t the first time they’ve asked a Missouri Governor to free Prewitt.
“We petitioned Blunt. He never responded. I think that a similar petition was filed with Holden, and there was never any formal response from Holden either,” Burnett says.
Prewitt will not be eligible for parole until she has served 50 calendar years in prison. Had she taken a plea bargain, she would have only served five to seven years. The statute that binds her to this unusual sentence was removed from Missouri law just a few short years after Prewitt’s case. Eliminating this statute allows prisoners early clemency for good behavior.
This petition has several more signatures than prior drafts have received. Burnett hopes the petition will get a speedy response and is glad that he can help.
“I felt that it was something that I should do. I believe that she should be released now, and I felt that very strongly. Her family feels that very strongly. I’m told that the people in the correction system believe that she’s been a model prisoner her entire stay, so it’s time.”
Law students who have studied the case at Washington University say they believe Prewitt’s sentencing was affected by gender bias.
For KSMU News, I'm Royal Yates.
