From change.org

My name is Ashley. My dad, Bryan Sheppard, has spent 20 years in federal prison for a 1988 explosion that killed six Kansas City firefighters. He has maintained his innocence, and his parents and girlfriend at the time insist he was in bed during the incident. What’s more, there was no physical evidence connecting them to the crime. It is a tragedy what happened to the firefighters that night in 1988, and I continue to feel sadness for the families and friends of the victims. But my family has suffered a different kind of tragedy because the U.S. Department of Justice has refused to release the names of two new suspects in the case, information that could help explain what happened that night and bring true justice for all.

I am asking Tammy Dickinson, U.S. Attorney, Western District of Missouri, to release a non-redacted copy of the July 8, 2011, U.S. DOJ Criminal Division Investigation of the Kansas City Firefighters. The public, the victims and those currently serving time deserve to know the truth.  

Two jail guards, played by Frank Oakley III (left) and Chris Roady, fight after arguing over the fatal 1988 explosion in Kansas City at the heart of the play “Justice in the Embers” by the Center for Investigative Reporting’s “Story Works.” (Brian Paulette)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The two uniformed jail guards argued angrily, cursed each other, then erupted into a nasty brawl with punches and furniture and bodies flying. As the fight ended and the guards skulked away to lick their wounds, a breathless audience of about 100 people looked on.

The violent eruption wasn’t in a jail. It was on the stage of The Living Room theater in Kansas City, and it was the latest example of an innovative new approach to investigative journalism: put a controversial story on stage and dramatize it for audiences who might not otherwise be aware of the issues at stake and the discoveries made by traditional news media.

The Kansas City production, “Justice in the Embers,” is the latest example of the collaboration called “StoryWorks,” launched by the California-based Center for Investigative Reporting, a non-profit journalistic organization, and the Bay Area’s Tides Theater group. The ways of investigative journalism have changed little since the days of Upton Sinclair and Ida Tarbell — a reporter works and digs and writes a story for months or years, then publishes or broadcasts it and…hopes for the best. Hopes that the public, or the government, is moved or outraged enough to take action. And if not, the story settles quietly into the archives. Though multi-media techniques have improved the presentation of investigative stories, they still reach mostly an audience of dedicated news consumers, and rarely much more.

Feb 05, 2016 KCTV5 By Angie Ricono, Investigative Reporter

It’s been nearly 30 years since an explosion killed six Kansas City firefighters. Five people were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. One of them called KCTV5, hoping to clear his name.

Bryan Sheppard, 44, is sitting in a Leavenworth prison cell. There is a small beacon of hope he might get out one day. Attorneys are currently arguing over sentencing guidelines, since Sheppard was a teenager at the time of the crime. While he’s thankful for any chance to walk free, Sheppard wants the world to know he’s innocent.

Bryan Sheppard, 44, is sitting in a Leavenworth prison cell. There is a small beacon of hope he might get out one day. (KCTV5)

“I want the truth too,” he told KCTV5 reporter Angie Ricono over the phone. “I pray to God every day the truth comes out about this case.”

He’s hoping a theatrical production could change perception about his case.

Sheppard is the main character of the new play, Justice in the Embers. KCPT, The Center for Investigative Reporting and The Living Room Theater are presenting the play, which was largely inspired by Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Mike McGraw’s articles about the trial.

“It’s about unanswered questions,” said McGraw. “I believe there are unanswered questions in the city’s most serious crime.”

In November 1988, Kansas City firefighters were called to put out a fire at a construction site. As firefighters rushed to put out the flames, an explosion killed six of them instantly. The blast was so powerful it could be heard 50 miles away. It left a crater 40 feet wide and six feet deep. It broke a community’s heart.

Jan. 26, 2016 By Tony Rizzo KC STAR

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling Monday should clear the way for a new sentencing hearing for the youngest man convicted in one of Kansas City’s most infamous crimes.

Bryan E. Sheppard was 17 in 1988 when an arson fire triggered a massive explosion that killed six firefighters at a south-central Kansas City construction site.

Sheppard was one of five defendants convicted in the case and sentenced to life in prison.

Sheppard, now 44, previously had been granted a new sentencing hearing after a 2012 Supreme Court decision found that it was unconstitutional to impose mandatory prison sentences of life without parole on juveniles.

The rulings did not outlaw such sentences outright but required hearings to consider if such a sentence is appropriate in each case.

But Sheppard’s resentencing was put on hold pending a ruling on the case decided Monday.

Bryan Sheppard's life sentence ruled unconstitutional

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —A U.S. Supreme Court ruling could end the life prison sentence for one of the people convicted in the 1988 fire that killed six Kansas City firefighters.

Bryan Sheppard, who was one of five people convicted of starting a fire at a construction site near 87th Street and U.S. Highway 71 more than 27 years ago, was 17 at the time. The fire triggered a massive explosion that killed six firefighters who came to the scene to put it out.

The court ruled Monday that it’s unconstitutional to sentence someone under the age of 18 to life without parole.

“He was a troublemaker. Got into all kinds of trouble. Dropped out of school. Got into fights. Been to jail once before,” said Andrew Johnson, who befriended Sheppard and now works for his release.

The convictions of Sheppard and the four others is controversial.

Johnson said the deaths of the six firefighters were awful.

“I think it’s equally awful that these five people who do not have any physical evidence against them (and who) have alibis, witnesses that support the alibis, end up being convicted of this crime,” Johnson said.