Meet Kevin Keith as Kim Kardashian visits his family in Ohio to fight for his life Thu 5 October 2023 07:45 Updated Thu 5 October 2023 08:52 Celine Byford
Michael King Kim Kardashian has fought for Kevin Keith for years. She traveled to Ohio to meet Keith’s family as his case continues. We reveal an update on Kevin as his family vows to get him a release date.
During The Kardashians season 4 episode 2, Kim travels to finally see incarcerated prisoner Kevin Keith’s tight-knit family. He is an American prisoner and former death row inmate from Ohio who was convicted of the 1994 triple-homicide that killed Marichell Chatman, her daughter Marchae, and Linda Chatman. Kim Kardashian has committed years to the case, which she “can’t stop thinking about.”
Kim K supports Kevin Keith
Kevin Keith was convicted of the 1994 triple-homicide that killed Marichell Chatman, her daughter Marchae, and Linda Chatman. In 2022, his case received international attention.
There were claims of innocence and controversy surrounding his trial and conviction highlighted on a podcast hosted by Kim Kardashian titled The System: The Case of Kevin Keith.
She paid Keith’s family a visit to Ohio for the first time in January 2023, which was documented for The Kardashians on Hulu. Ahead of a panel talk, Kim told them: “Well, I’m here to say something.”
Kevin Keith’s case explained
On February 13, 1994, three people were killed and three people were injured in a shooting at the Bucyrus Estates apartments in Bucyrus, Ohio. Two days later, Keith was arrested.
Keith was sent to Marion Correctional Institution prison on February 13, 1994, on three counts of aggravated murder and three counts of attempted aggravated murder.
His penalties include death in 1994 and in 2010, life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Kim alleges in her podcast that law enforcement never questioned Keith, “ever.”
His trial began on May 10, 1994, only a few months after the murders, and he was represented by attorney James Banks, who had never worked on a capital murder case before.
Yesterday I had the honor of visiting Kevin Keith in prison in Ohio after meeting his whole family and speaking at a justice reform panel about his case.
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) January 20, 2023
Update on Kevin Keith in Ohio
The Ohio Parole Board has shot down Keith’s latest request for clemency. The board voted 5-0 against clemency for Kevin Keith, who is now 29 years into a life sentence involving the death penalty.
Keith was commuted from the death penalty by Gov. Ted Strickland, who couldn’t ignore unanswered questions in Keith’s case. In September 2023, the appeals court rejected his bid to overturn his conviction.
He remains in prison for the 1994 murders. “The case has had ample appellate review to address any alleged irregularities in the processing of the case,” the board wrote. Kevin Keith has no release date.
“While the applicant’s conduct and activities are laudable, they do not rise to the level of significance to offset the death of three persons and serious injury to another three,” they added as of January 2023.
The statement adds: “In the judgment of the Parole Board, neither the grounds set forth [in] the application nor facts disclosed by way of inquiry warrant the exercise of the clemency power at this time.”
I had the pleasure of meeting Kevin Keith through a video visit & was so impressed w/ the amazing programs he created in prison to help others inside better themselves! So much evidence has been uncovered proving Kevin’s innocence. I hope justice is served soon & he is released.
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) July 16, 2019
WATCH THE KARDASHIANS ON HULU AND DISNEY+ EVERY THURSDAY
