In the early morning hours of June 21st, 2001, a black Ford Tempo pulled up outside a residence in St Louis Missouri.
According to witnesses, 3 African American men got out of the car, pulled out guns, and opened fire on a group of people sitting on the porch of the house.
As the victims attempted to flee the scene, some of them returned fire and one of the people from the porch by the name of Freddie Chew, was killed in the gunfire.
Down the street several blocks away from the scene, Ju'ane Kennell and his family were asleep in their beds with their home secured by a Brinks Home Security System. A security system which would have been set off by either someone attempting to leave the house or someone attempting to come in.
Later that morning after they had woken, Ju'ane and his family learned of the murder of Freddie Chew.
Despite his solid alibi of his family members stating he was home all night as well as no record of the home security system showing anyone leaving or entering the house that evening or early morning, Ju'ane was ultimately charged, tried, and convicted of the murder of Freddie Chew and was sentenced to Life without Parole in a Missouri penitentiary where he remains today.
Ju’ane's conviction was almost entirely based on the testimony of two individuals by the name of Jeffery Shockley and Robert Stewart, both of whom cut sweetheart deals with the prosecution on their own separate pending criminal cases and in addition, received cash payments from a secret state slush fund in exchange for their testimony against Ju'ane.
Despite the fact that Ju'ane has clear and compelling evidence that he was not involved in the death of Freddie Chew, the courts have repeatedly denied his appeals, however not on the evidence of his innocence that he has submitted, but rather on mere legal technicalities. The courts have essentially told Ju'ane repeatedly over the last 21 years that regardless of his evidence of innocence and the overwhelming prosecutorial and police misconduct that occurred in his case, he is time barred. This is Just Unjust.