LETTER: KEZER ISN'T GUILTY, AND A MURDERER IS ON THE LOOSE SOMEWHERE

To the editor:

Joshua Kezer isn't a killer.

He was a young man 17 years of age, 350 miles away, in the early hours of Nov. 8, 1992, when a young woman's life was taken that devastated a family with grief and outraged a community.

The newspaper reported that the state's attorney said there was scant evidence.

I was in the courtroom, and there was no evidence, only circumstantial evidence and snitches with a story who wanted a deal. Some then recanted their stories at one time and said they were lying and for some reason went back to the state's side. They have now had their sentences greatly reduced.

If you will further check, on Aug. 3 the Southeast Missourian reported that he was in Cape Girardeau County Jail with former friends. My grandson has never been in Cape Girardeau County Jail, nor has he ever done any time in any jail before this. Now he has spent every minute of the last 17 months (almost one and a half years) locked behind bars for a brutal crime he didn't commit nor know anything about. He wasn't acquainted with the victim nor her family.

It also came out in court that no one from Scott County came to investigate any of Josh's alibi witnesses nor family in Kankakee, Ill. Had they checked they would have found he was right where he said: 350 miles away.

Because of the elected officials, another young life has been taken, and he is now locked behind bars. Another family has been devastated, and although Joshua and Ms. Kezer weren't born in the state of Missouri, her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents are all from the surrounding communities. Ms. Kezer, her family, relatives and friends are devastated with unbelief of this injustice that has been done to Joshua Kezer. We know where our boy was. We know he is innocent, and there is a killer somewhere loose, walking around.

S. JANE JAMES

Kankakee, Ill.