Former death row inmate in Ohio to go free today

A man who spent two decades on death row will walk free today without saying he had anything to do with a fire that killed a 2-year-old girl, a death for which he once came within an hour of being executed.

Ken Richey will plead no contest to counts including attempted involuntary manslaughter, get sentenced to time already served and leave for his native Scotland on Friday, said Ken Parsigian, his lawyer.

Richey, a U.S. and British citizen, was convicted of murder in a 1986 fire that killed Cynthia Collins in the northwest Ohio town of Columbus Grove. A federal appeals court overturned the conviction in August, saying his lawyers mishandled his case.

The state had been set to try Richey again in March and seek another death sentence. Putnam County prosecutor Gary Lammers said through his office that he would not comment until after the plea hearing today.

Prosecutors said Richey set the blaze to get even with his former girlfriend, who lived in the same apartment building as the toddler. Richey, 43, has maintained he did not start the fire but acknowledged he was intoxicated that night and did not remember everything that happened.

Parsigian said Richey rejected previous plea offers that would have linked him to the fire.

“We would never agree to anything on murder or arson or a guilty plea,” Parsigian said.

Richey will plead no contest to attempted involuntary manslaughter, child endangerment, and breaking and entering, Parsigian said.

As part of the deal, Richey agreed to plead no contest to the state’s charge that he told the toddler’s mother he would baby-sit the girl, but that he didn’t and left her in harm’s way, Parsigian said. A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt but a statement that no defense will be offered.

Richey contends that he did not agree to baby-sit the girl.