U.S. attorney to reopen inquiry into '88
blast that killed 6 firefighters
By MIKE McGRAW
The Kansas City Star
July 1, 2008
In a highly unusual move, the U.S. attorney in
Kansas City is asking the Justice Department to review “new
assertions” in the firefighters’ explosion case.
Today’s announcement followed a story Sunday in
The Kansas City Star in which numerous witnesses said that a
federal investigator in the case pressured them to lie.
“Sunday’s Kansas City Star article
indicates that some individuals have called into question their own
prior statements regarding an arson case that my office tried in the
1990s,” said U.S. Attorney John F. Wood in a statement issued this
morning.
“This case was handled by experienced and highly
professional agents and prosecutors. We have every confidence in their
work, which was reviewed on appeal and in subsequent collateral
litigation. But our paramount goal is to ensure that justice is served
in every case. We should ensure that all evidence is carefully
considered. In order to ensure that these new assertions are reviewed
and considered in a thorough and unbiased manner, on Monday morning I
requested that the Department of Justice designate an attorney outside
the U.S. Attorney’s Office to review the assertions. We will fully
cooperate with this review in order to assure that justice is served.”
On Nov. 29, 1988, the six firefighters died in a
massive explosion ignited by arson fires at a construction site in
south Kansas City. Killed in the blast were Thomas Fry, Gerald
Halloran, Luther Hurd, James Kilventon Jr., Robert McKarnin and
Michael Oldham.
The explosions touched off one of the most
far-reaching criminal investigations in Kansas City history. Finally,
in 1997, five small-time hoods from the nearby Marlborough
neighborhood were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. All their
appeals have been rejected.
The defendants, Frank Sheppard, Earl “Skip”
Sheppard, Bryan Sheppard, Darlene Edwards and Richard Brown, have
always maintained their innocence. All refused to testify against any
of the others in return for shorter sentences.
But a Star investigation found up to 15
witnesses, many speaking publicly for the first time, said that a
federal investigator pressured them to lie.
Five who testified in the case admitted they lied to
the federal grand jury that indicted the defendants or later at their
trial. The other witnesses said they refused to change their stories.
Witnesses told The Star that excessive
pressure often came from Dave True, now a retired agent for the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which helped investigate
the case.
True has denied that he coerced or intimidated
witnesses and has said, “There’s no question in my mind that the right
people are in jail.”
An ATF spokesman has said that he didn’t believe
True would use such tactics. The spokesman today referred questions
about the latest action in the case to the U.S. Attorney’s office
here.
The federal prosecutor in the firefighter’s case,
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Becker, also has insisted that none of
his investigators used improper tactics.
In addition, The Star reported Sunday that
a new witness said that one of the security guards at the construction
site the night of the explosions acknowledged her involvement in the
crime 20 years ago.
That witness, Antonia Garcia, brings to at least
four the number of people who now say Debbie Riggs or her roommate and
fellow guard, Donna Costanza, implicated themselves.
Garcia and the other witnesses said the arson fires
set that night were described by Costanza and Riggs as an attempt by
Riggs to get rid of her pickup truck and collect on the insurance.
Riggs, who was once a suspect in the firefighter’s case, has admitted
to insurance fraud in the past.
Costanza has denied she ever made those statements.
Riggs has maintained her innocence to investigators over the years,
but has not responded to phone calls and letters seeking comment.
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Rep. Cleaver responds to today's news