Victims of the State
KIA - KYL

Name Index

Hany Kiareldeen, a Gaza native who married an American citizen, was caught in a dispute between Immigration Court, which wants to free him, and Federal authorities who want to keep him imprisoned based on secret evidence. The authorities' most specific allegation was that Kiareldeen met with the 1993 World Trade Center bombers one week before the bombing, at his residence in Nutley. However, an Immigration judge found that Kiareldeen was not even living in Nutley at the time. Kiareldeen's attorneys strongly suspect his former wife, who is in a bitter custody dispute with him, is the source of the allegations. She had previously brought domestic charges against him on at least six occasions, and all of them were dismissed.  (NJ Law Journal)  [3/05]

Around midnight, David Kibble was standing behind 1237 E. 17th Avenue in Columbus with Donnell Broomfield and others. After Alan Dukes parked his car there, the men there started an argument with him. Broomfield then took a swing at Dukes and Dukes swung back. After the fight ended, Kibble came up behind Dukes and hit him in the mouth. Dukes and an associate then chased after Kibble. As they entered an alley, Kibble saw a police officer at the other end and ran towards him. Kibble had pulled his knife out during the pursuit and still had it in his hand.

The officer, Adam Hicks, was looking for a suspect, Melvin Collins, who was seen with a gun and was wanted in connection with a carjacking. Like Collins, Kibble was a black male of about the same height and weight. They both were wearing red shirts. Officer Hicks opened fire on Kibble, hitting him three times while he was still beyond shouting distance. Dukes' associate, who was pursuing Kibble with Dukes, was also apparently hit. A video taken after the incident shows a man, who matched a description of Dukes' associate, going up to the camera and showing where a bullet passed through his baggy shorts without injuring him. Dukes had fled the scene, but was later traced through his license plate number.

After being shot, Kibble was charged with the felonious assault of Officer Hicks, apparently to cover-up the wrongful shooting. Hicks told a story that did not involve Kibble being chased and which made the shooting seem justifiable. However, Hicks' story was at odds with the positions of where Kibble and his knife had fallen and where the officer's own shell casings were found. Dukes and two other witnesses attested that Kibble was being chased at the time of the shooting.

Despite the evidence, Kibble accepted a plea bargain in which he did not have to admit guilt. Prior to trial his attorney pointed out that Dukes had a warrant out for his arrest and might not show up in court to testify. Kibble's other witnesses were relatives, which jurors tend to discount. Kibble faced up to 10 years if convicted. The plea bargain allowed him to serve only one year and he had already served almost half of it awaiting trial.

When told of Kibble's conviction, Dukes said, “That's crazy. All [Kibble] was trying to do was get away from us. I was shocked when I saw the officer start shooting for no reason. It didn't make any sense. That's why I took off. I was scared of what might happen next.”  (Justice: Denied)  [9/07]

Robert Lee Kidd was convicted in 1960 of the 1954 murder of Albert Clarke, 71, an antique shop owner. The murder occurred in Clarke's shop at 171 Valencia St. in San Francisco. The prosecution alleged Kidd killed the victim with the victim's own sword. Kidd's defense was prevented from informing the jury that the coroner determined that the victim could not have been killed with this sword. Subsequent investigation showed that police had photographic evidence in their files indicating the victim was beaten to death with a revolver. No evidence connected this revolver to Kidd. In addition the jury was falsely led to believe that a three-page document produced by a police witness was Kidd's rap sheet, implying Kidd had a long series of prior arrests.

Kidd was sentenced to death. At retrial in 1962, Kidd was acquitted because presented evidence showed that Clarke was alive several hours after the time Kidd allegedly murdered him. This evidence had been withheld by the prosecutor at Kidd's first trial.  (People v. Kidd) (MOJ)  [7/09]

Jerry Killedjian was convicted of murdering black-marketer Daryoush “Jessie” Khorrami. Khorrami's bullet-ridden body was found in his Mercedes-Benz parked in North Hollywood. Killedjian worked as a bagman for another black marketer and allegedly killed Khorrami for the $26,130 found on him. A rival black marketer might have a business motive to kill Khorrami, but Khorrami had just been sentenced in an illicit-fuel case. In 2003, another man who was convicted in the same fuel scheme allegedly confessed to a jail mate to the murder of Khorrami. This jail mate passed a polygraph test. Khorrami apparently fingered this new suspect to law enforcement and this suspect had once sued Khorrami, claiming he owed him money.  [12/05]

Gloria Killian was convicted of murdering coin collector Edward Davies, shooting his wife, Grace (attempted murder), conspiracy, burglary, robbery, and grand theft. After being initially charged, the charges were soon dropped. Later when a repeat felon named Gary Masse was convicted of the shootings, he named Killian as an accomplice as well as another person, Stephen DeSantis, apparently to deflect attention from his wife. Killian was convicted.

In the early 1990s, lawyers for DeSantis forced prosecutors to turn over piles of documents, including several that pertained to her case. One was a secret letter, written by Masse to the prosecutor, in which he emphasized that he had “lied [his] ass off on the stand” to help convict Killian; another was a letter from prosecutors supporting a sentence reduction for Masse because of his cooperation on the case. The letters gave Killian grounds for appeal. In addition, Killian got major financial help from Joyce Ride, the mother of astronaut Sally Ride. Killian served 18 years of a 32 years to life sentence. After her release, Killian founded the Action Committee for Women in Prison.  (Killian v. Poole)  [7/05]

Edward A. Kimball was convicted swindling $15,000 from Michael Funicielo. Funicielo got involved with a con-man named Costello. Costello and Funicielo found a wallet belonging to a man named Moyer. When the two returned it to its owner staying in a Baltimore hotel, the grateful Moyer offered a cash reward, which Costello refused to accept. In lieu of cash Moyer gave them stock market tips and through these tips he managed to parlay $200 into $181,000 through a series of investments on the Baltimore Stock Exchange. All these investments happened within a matter of hours with Moyer displaying the cash proceeds of each investment. However, when Moyer went to collect on the final investment, a Mr. Rose, who claimed to be manager of the stock exchange, came back with him. Rose then told Moyer he wanted him to put up $60,000 within 24 hours to show the investment was legitimate. After Rose left, Moyer said he only had $30,000, but Costello said he could put up $15,000 and the two prevailed upon Funicielo to put up the remaining $15,000.

After the money was assembled at the hotel, Moyer and Funicielo entrusted it to Costello to deliver it to Rose. Costello called them 10 minutes later and told them that Rose was busy and they would have to wait. Moyer and Funicielo waited some time. Then Moyer's “employer” called and Moyer excused himself, saying he would return soon.

Funicielo waited several hours. Finally, becoming suspicious, he went to the hotel desk to inquire about Moyer. At that moment, he saw a man getting into a taxi whom he recognized as Rose. He hailed a taxi, followed “Rose,” to the train station, and had him arrested. “Rose” gave his name as Edward Kimball. He had been staying at the Emerson hotel in room 1615, not far from room 1618 where Moyer had been staying.

Kimball was tried for larceny of the $15,000. At trial the state produced a surprise witness, a man named Joseph Elsie, who claimed that in 1925 he had been swindled similarly in Chicago by Kimball who then used the name, “J. W. Rose, of the National Stock Exchange for the Rothschild boys.” Both Funicielo and Elsie singled out the glasses Kimball wore as a distinguishing mark. Kimball presented alibi evidence and while the trial judge clearly believed it, the jury convicted him nevertheless.  Following his conviction, Kimball presented more alibi evidence and soon got a new trial.  At a hearing for the new trial the state acquitted him by entering an admission that he was not guilty.  (CTI)  [12/10]

Thomas “Hank” Hughes Kimbell, Jr. was sentenced to death for the 1994 murders of his neighbor, Bonnie Lou Dryfuse, 34, her daughters, Jacqueline Mae Dryfuse, 7, and Heather Sue Dryfuse, 4, and their cousin, Stephanie Herko, 5. The murders occurred at the Dryfuses' mobile home at 100 Ambrosia Road in Pulaski Township. Bonnie was stabbed 28 times, Jacqueline, 14 times, Heather, 16 times, and Stephanie, 6 times. Bonnie's husband, Thomas “Jake” Dryfuse discovered the bodies shortly after 3 p.m. Mary Herko, who was Stephanie's mother and Jake's sister, had been talking on the telephone with Bonnie at 2:20 p.m. and testified at trial that Bonnie said she had to go because “someone is pulling up the driveway” (possibly the murderer). Previously, Herko had told the police that Bonnie had said, “Jake is pulling up the driveway.” The defense was not allowed to impeach Herko's testimony to bring out the fact that Bonnie had indicated her husband rather than just “someone.” The husband, Jake, claimed to be elsewhere at the time the phone call ended.
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Martin Kimsey was convicted of the stun gun robbery of a Wells Fargo security guard in front of a Garland Safeway store. Gov. Clements pardoned Kimsey in May 1990 after a federal prisoner, James Clayton Garrett, confessed to the crime.  (Archives)  [5/08]

Jason Kindle was convicted of the armed robbery of an Office Depot store where he worked as a janitor. The store was located at 2020 S. Figueroa Ave. A thief had robbed it of $15,000 in cash and $7,000 in checks. Following the robbery, Kindle continued to work at the store for seven weeks without his fellow employees pointing a finger at him. After police detained him in the store, letting everyone know he was a suspect, five employees identified him as the robber from a police photo lineup. At trial the prosecution presented a “things to do” list that Kindle says he compiled during a training session on working as a janitor. The prosecution contended the list was a “recipe for robbery.” Judge Lance Ito refused to order a retrial after learning that items on the list were janitorial tips.

An appeals court ordered a new trial because Kindle's counsel failed to introduce an expert on witness IDs. An analysis was performed on a videotape of the robbery, which showed that the perpetrator was 6'6" tall. Kindle was only 6' tall. The DA declined to retry the case. Kindle served 2 years of a 70 years to life sentence given under the three strikes law.

Eric John King was convicted of the murders of Ron Barman, a store clerk, and Richard Butts, a security guard. The murders occurred during a midnight robbery of the Short Stop convenience market at 48th Street and Broadway in Phoenix. The robbery was captured on videotape and grainy images from it showed the robber was a black male wearing a dark sweater with a band of light colored, diamond-shaped markings across his chest and arms.
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Indle Gifford King, Jr. was convicted of murdering his 20-year-old mail order bride, Anastasia Solovieva, who was from Krygyzstan in the former Soviet Union. King had met Anastasia through a magazine that advertised foreign women to prospective American men. A boarder, Daniel Larson, who rented a room in King's house, led police to her shallow grave. At the time Larson had been arrested for sexually assaulting a Ukrainian immigrant teenager. Larson said King had told him he murdered Anastasia and showed him where he buried her body. Larson later claimed he murdered King's wife under orders from King. King had no criminal record while Larson had a history of violence, sexual assault, and mental illness. In addition, Larson wrote a letter to a cult leader, Christopher Turgeon, in which he stated that he killed Anastasia alone.
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Keith King - See Brown & King

Mark Anthony Kirk was convicted of triple homicide for allegedly starting an apartment house fire that killed three people. The fire began on a stove in Kirk's apartment in Building 8 of the Beaver Brook Apartments. Police interrogated Kirk for hours, and engaged in psychological manipulations including threatening him with a death sentence. Kirk eventually confessed to accidentally starting the fire. He said he was using an electric burner on the stove to light a cigarette when he spilled a bottle of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum on the burner, causing the fire.
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Leonard M. Kirkes, a highway patrolman, was convicted in 1950 of the 1942 murder of 20-year-old Margaret Senteney. Her body was found on the foothills above the town of Carpinteria. The conviction was based on circumstantial evidence including the testimony of a key witness who said she saw Senteney get into Kirkes' car on the night of her murder. In 1953 Kirkes was retried and acquitted. The key witness at Kirkes' first trial had been sent to a mental institution, and doctors stated that she had been mentally disturbed even before she testified.  (Conviction) (Acquittal)  [7/07]

Justin Kirkwood was convicted of robbing a craft store in New Castle of $130. Two clerks identified him as the robber despite discrepancies between Kirkwood and the initial descriptions the clerks gave of the robber. At trial, Kirkwood had seven alibi witnesses, including one, Bill Fitts, the owner of the largest car dealership in New Castle. Fitts said he called the Kirkwood household at 7 p.m., which was the time of the robbery. He called to inform the Kirkwoods that he had arranged for them the use of a Lincoln Town Car for an upcoming wedding. Fitts said Justin Kirkwood answered the phone when he called. Fitts knew Justin, because he employed Justin's father. He also knew it was 7 p.m. because as soon as he hung up, he watched the lottery picks on television.

On cross-examination, the prosecutor, DA Birgitta Tolvanen, displayed a copy of Fitts' phone records and brought out the fact that there was no listing of the phone call on them. Fitts had no explanation for the apparent discrepancy. The defense attorney complained that the records were not made available in pretrial discovery, but did not ask for a mistrial or otherwise object. The DA did not introduce the records into evidence. On closing, the DA referred to the records as undermining Fitts' credibility. Thinking the alibi witnesses were probable liars, the jury convicted Kirkwood of armed robbery and he was sentenced to 3 1/2 to 7 years in jail.

Following the conviction, a copy of the phone records was obtained along with evidence that another suspect committed the crime. Fitts' phone call to the Kirkwood residence was not listed, because it was a local call and no local calls were listed in the records as they were free. During appeals, the DA admitted she tricked Fitts with the phone records and knew they did not contain local calls and that she had misled the jury. Kirkwood's conviction was then overturned. Charges against Kirkwood were dismissed in 2006.  (JD)  [2/07]

Ronald Kitchen and Marvin Reeves were convicted of the murders of five people: Rose Marie Rodriguez, 30, her son Daniel, 3, Deborah Sepulveda, 26, her son Peter, Jr., 3, and her daughter Rebecca, 2. Rodriguez was strangled and the other victims had been suffocated. Their home, a bungalow at 6028 S. Campbell Ave. in Chicago, was set on fire. There were no eyewitnesses to the murders.

“The prosecution's case was based on Ronald Kitchen's confession to the five murders after 39 hours of interrogation, and the testimony of jailhouse informant Willie Williams, who claimed that Kitchen confessed to him in two telephone calls. [He said Kitchen told him he killed the victims over a $1,225 drug debt.] The informant also claimed that Marvin Reeves made incriminating statements to him. Kitchen testified that he only confessed to stop being beaten by Chicago Police Department detectives who were questioning him. The detectives were under the command of Cmdr. Jon Burge, and Kitchen said he was hit in the head with a telephone, punched in the face, struck in the groin and kicked. Kitchen was sentenced to death, but it was commuted to life in prison by IL Gov. George Ryan in 2003. Reeves was given five life sentences without parole.”

“Attorneys for Kitchen and Reeves eventually discovered that phone records showed Williams didn't talk to Kitchen on the two dates he claimed, and that prosecutors never revealed to defense attorneys they had Williams released from prison early in return for his cooperation. Evidence also surfaced that Cmdr. Burge had been involved in the torture of numerous defendants who falsely confessed. Based on the new evidence Kitchen and Reeves filed motions for a new trial. On the morning of July 7, 2009 Cook County Circuit Judge Stanley Sacks overturned their convictions, and later that day the Illinois Attorney General dismissed their indictments on the grounds of insufficient evidence. On the afternoon of the 7th Kitchen and Reeves were released from custody after being wrongly imprisoned for 21 years.” – FJDB  (Chicago Sun Times)

Tomas Klamo was convicted of manslaughter in the alleged shaking death of his four-week-old son, Izaiah. Klamo admitted to having shaken Izaiah a little harder than normal a week or two before his death. Izaiah subsequently died of a brain hemorrhage. At trial the crown's medical expert was unable to say what caused the hemorrhage, but said he did not believe it was caused by shaking as Izaiah had no other injuries consistent with shaking. Klamo was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment. On appeal in 2008, the Victorian Supreme Court of Appeal found the evidence against Klamo was insufficient to convict. It quashed his conviction and ordered his acquittal.  (R v. Klamo) (Herald Sun)  [11/09]

Louis Klass, also known as Klashtorni was convicted of robbing the First National Bank of Spring Valley. The crime occurred on May 7, 1928. The president and vice-president of the bank viewed police photos and identified Klass as one of the robbers. Later, after another man confessed to the crime, they realized they were mistaken. Klass was cleared in 1931.  [10/05]

Cody Klyne was convicted of dangerous driving and flight from police. His conviction was based on the eyewitness testimony of two police officers who only momentarily saw the car's driver. In Aug. 2007, the Manitoba Court of Appeal ruled that the officers' identification was too unreliable to support Klyne's conviction, and overturned the conviction.  (Winnipeg Free Press) (R. v. Klyne) [1/08]

John Henry Knapp was sentenced to death for allegedly setting a fire that killed his two daughters, Linda Louise, 3 1/2, and Iona Marie, 2 1/2. The fire occurred in the children's bedroom at the Knapp house located at 7435 East Capri in East Mesa, AZ. Shortly before the coroner's inquest, Knapp's wife, Linda, fled to Nebraska. Knapp was told that a fuel can found at the site of the fire had no identifiable children's prints (thus ruling out accident), but did contain numerous adult prints. During his interrogation, Knapp confessed to setting the fire, but recanted within minutes and never wavered in maintaining his innocence.
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Scott and Brenda Kniffen and Alvin and Debbie McCuan were convicted of child abuse and given centuries long sentences. There was no physical evidence that any child abuse had occurred. Prosecutors promised the children that testified against the four adults that if they lied they would be reunited with their parents. The children recanted after they realized the prosecutors did not intend to keep their promises. The convictions of the four defendants were reversed in 1996 and they were released after 14 years of imprisonment.  (RT)  [7/05]

John Kogut - See Long Island Three

Paul Demetri Kordonowy was convicted of the rape of a woman identified as K.B. The victim could only specify general characteristics of her assailant. Crime lab technician Arnold Melnikoff gave testimony that hair and blood tests identified Kordonowy as the assailant, although the semen sample contained an enzyme that could not have come from Kordonowy. DNA tests exonerated Kordonowy in 2003.  (IP)  [10/05]

Kerry Kotler was convicted of rape, burglary, and robbery. At trial, the prosecution withheld police reports that showed that the victim's description differed from Kotler in age, height, and weight and that the victim's identification of Kotler was a “look-alike,” not a positive identification. DNA tests exonerated Kotler in 1992.  (IP) (CBJ)  [9/06]

Julius Krause confessed to the robbery and murder of an 81-year-old grocer after police convinced him there was no way he could be acquitted. Four years later Krause's supposed accomplice gave a deathbed statement in which he named Curtis Kuermerle as his actual partner. When officials failed to act on the information, Krause did it for them. In 1940, he escaped from prison, tracked Kuermerle down, and convinced him to confess to authorities. Krause then turned himself and Kuermerle in, fully expecting to be released. Kuermerle was convicted of manslaughter. However, Krause's conviction was not vacated, but only commuted to second-degree murder, making him eligible for parole. Krause was kept in prison for another 11 years before being paroled in 1951.  (The Innocents) (Presumed Guilty)  [11/07]

(Federal Case)  Kenneth Krause's cellmate, Jeff Milton, at USP Lompoc, challenged corrections officer Anita Pahnke after she mouthed off outside their cell. Milton said, “That's tough talk behind a cell door.” Against regulations Pahnke opened the cell door, at which point Milton punched her with such force that she fell down. Although Krause never touched Pahnke, both he and Milton were dragged out of their cell and severely beaten before being stripped and chained hand and foot to a concrete slab for a solid week. They were not only forced to lie naked in their urine and fecal matter for the week they were chained to the slab, but they were repeatedly brutalized by several guards who punched and kicked them.

Krause was convicted of assault despite corrections officers testifying in his defense against inmate informants testifying for the prosecution. A videotape surveillance camera recorded the assault, but Krause's defense was not allowed funds to enhance the video. Krause was also transferred to the top federal supermax facility, USP Florence, in Colorado.  (Justice: Denied)  [12/06]

Donald Krieger - See Jacobs Field Three

In May of 1996, Laura Kriho was the only one of 12 jurors voting to acquit a 19-year-old woman on trial for possession of methamphetamine. One of her fellow jurors passed a note to the presiding judge snitching on Kriho for disobeying the judge's order not to discuss the possible jail sentence. The judge declared a mistrial and charged Kriho with contempt of court, obstruction of justice, and perjury. The state contended Kriho had failed to volunteer that she had a past drug arrest and was philosophically in disagreement with some of the drug laws. Kriho had honestly answered every question that was asked of her. Kriho was convicted of contempt in 1997, but exonerated in 2000 prior to sentencing.  (FJDB) (Rocky Mountain News)  [10/07]

Ray Krone was sentenced to death for the murder of Kim Ancona, 36, a bar manager who was killed at the CBS Lounge restaurant where she worked.  Krone was a regular customer at the restaurant/bar and knew Ancona. Krone had an alibi and his 10-1/2 shoe size did not match the 9-1/2 size shoe print left at murder scene. Hairs and partial fingerprints found did not match Krone either. However, police felt Krone's teeth matched a bite mark on the victim. Krone was dubbed the “Snaggletooth Killer” because one of his top front teeth stuck out. At trial, Dr. Raymond Rawson, a nationally known forensic odontologist, testified that he was 100% certain that bite mark on the victim matched Krone. After Krone's conviction was overturned, a retrial jury convicted him again in 1996 despite defense testimony from three forensic dentists that the bite mark did not match. This time the judge sentenced him to life in prison, citing doubts about whether Krone was the killer. In 2001, DNA testing of blood found on victim was matched to the actual killer, Kenneth Phillips, and Krone was released after serving 10 1/3 years.

It was later learned that prior to the second trial the prosecuting attorney was personally told by two of the country's most respected dental forensic experts that there was “no way” the teeth marks on Ancona's body were made by Krone. The experts asserted the prosecution's dental expert was absolutely wrong to identify Krone as the source of the bite marks. Not only did the prosecutor not inform the defense of this exculpatory information, but he proceeded with seeking the death penalty.

In 2004, Krone came to the attention of the TV show Extreme Makeover, and agreed to a makeover that included the replacement of five of his front teeth. The program documenting his transformation was broadcast in Feb 2005. In April 2005, Krone was awarded $1.4 million by Maricopa County and in September he was awarded $3 million by the city of Phoenix. In Feb 2006, the Arizona legislature publicly apologized to him. Krone's case is profiled in the first half of the book The Death Penalty on Trial by Bill Kurtis.  (Forensic Files) (JD) (IP) (CCADP)  [12/06]

(Federal Case)  Oscar Krueger was convicted of sending an obscene letter based in part on handwriting analysis. Following his conviction and his letters of protest to various officials, an Assistant United States Attorney reinvestigated the case and concluded Kreuger was innocent. Based on the attorney's recommendations, U.S. President Taft pardoned Kreuger and he was released after serving nearly a year of imprisonment.  (CTI)  [10/08]

Frank Kuecken - See New Baltimore Three

David Wayne Kunze was convicted of murdering his ex-wife's fiancé, James W. McCann. Kunze was convicted solely on the basis of an alleged ear print left on a door in the victim's house. In 1999 an appeals court reversed his conviction because of the unreliability of ear print evidence. After Kunze was released on $500,000 bail in Aug 2000, Kunze's second trial ended in a mistrial, and prosecutors declined to retry him a third time because of a lack of evidence.  (Forensic) (State v. Kunze)  [10/05]

Secola Kuykendall - See Lipton Three

Curtis Kyles was sentenced to death for murdering Dolores Dye during a car theft in the parking lot of a Schwegmann's Giant Supermarket. A man named Joseph “Beanie” Wallace claimed that he purchased Dye's stolen car from Kyles after he was found driving around in it. Several witnesses also testified that they saw Kyles at the crime scene. The defense called this testimony into question and the jury in Kyles' first trial was hung. Upon retrial, Kyles was convicted, but this conviction was ultimately reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court, which held that the prosecution had hidden exculpatory evidence about changes in the witnesses' accounts and about the corruption of the investigation. Had this material been disclosed to the defense, it would validate Kyles' claim that Wallace and the New Orleans authorities were framing him. The case was remanded for a third trial, which ended in a hung jury, as did fourth and fifth trials. The DA then conceded defeat and Kyles was freed in 1998. The case is profiled in the book, Desire Street by Jed Horne (2005)  (TWM)  [7/05]