by Valerie Burton|Media News|April 20, 2021
Olin “Pete” Coones will be missed! Pete was exonerated on November 5, 2020, and died
on February 21, 2021, at the age of 64. Coones fell ill soon after his release from prison after 12 years. Pete had cancer throughout his body that had gone undiagnosed behind bars.
We are thankful that Pete, a former Kansas City, Kansas mail carrier was able to prove his innocence and spend the last 108 days of his life with his wife and family.
No physical evidence ever connected Coones to the crime, who was home with his family that night and had never been in trouble. Yet he was framed for murder and his life was stolen because his innocence did not matter.
Pete wanted to help change the laws so that jailhouse snitches who trade lies for better deals can’t help convict other innocent
men and women. Kansas lawmakers could choose to make it harder to send innocents to prison on the word of proven liars.
In honor of an honorable man, the Kansas legislature should pass House Bill 2366 and name it after Pete Coones.
View NBC dateline documentary.