He was in prison for 23 years for a crime he didn’t commit. Now, KCPD will pay $14M
Ricky Kidd, a Kansas City man who spent 23 years in prison for a double murder he did not commit, has reached a $14 million settlement with the board that controls the Kansas City Police Department.
Attorneys for Kidd announced the settlement this week, which is believed to be the largest in the Kansas City Police Department’s history. The state-run board approved the record settlement last Tuesday after Kidd filed a lawsuit in 2021 related to his wrongful conviction.
Kidd, in a statement to The Star, pointed to the years he spent in prison and said no amount of money “can take back 23 years and 3 months of pain and suffering.”
“You don’t just lose the years; you also lose everything inside those 23 years,” Kidd said. “Kids growing up, your own learning opportunities, important days like birthdays, important moments like my stepfather’s words as he neared death, telling my mother that he tried to wait on me.”
Kidd added that the “years of proving my innocence and litigation are finally behind me I’m looking forward to making the most of the years I have remaining.”
Sgt. Phil DiMartino, a Kansas City police spokesman, confirmed the settlement in a statement to The Star on Tuesday, emphasizing that it was not an admission of liability or wrongdoing. The $14 million will be paid out over the next four fiscal years, he said.
“Mr. Kidd’s lawsuit involved former personnel and events of nearly 30 years ago,” DiMartino said. “The Department will take the benefit of the lessons learned throughout the course of this litigation and embed those lessons in its ongoing and continuous efforts to ensure Kansas Citians receive the highest level of police service.”
The police board “appreciates Mr. Kidd’s reasoned and sincere efforts in arriving at this resolution and wishes him and his family well,” DiMartino said.
Amelia Green, Kidd’s lead attorney, said in a statement that the settlement illustrated Kidd’s innocence.
“This 14 million dollar settlement speaks unequivocally to Mr. Kidd’s innocence, and to his unwavering perseverance, dignity, and strength in the face of tremendous suffering during 23 years of wrongful imprisonment,” Green said.
The large settlement comes on the heels of several high-profile settlements involving the KCPD, including $4.1 million to settle a federal lawsuit in the death of Cameron Lamb, who was fatally shot by former detective Eric DeValkenaere.
The settlements have sparked alarm from Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who on Tuesday issued a statement calling for additional money from the state to help KCPD cover legal expenses. Lawmakers have until Friday to finalize the state’s budget for the next fiscal year.
In March 1997, Kidd was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder with a life sentence for each in the killings of George Bryant and Oscar “Junior” Bridges. Both were fatally shot on Feb. 6, 1996, inside Bryant’s Kansas City home, an act carried out by three men.
On the day of the shooting, Kidd was running errands and babysitting his infant nephew, according to the lawsuit he filed in 2021.
After being convicted and spending 23 years in prison, a DeKalb County judge in 2019 found that Kidd was innocent. The judge’s order said evidence of Kidd’s innocence was “clear and convincing.”
One eyewitness to the crime later recanted his testimony. Another witness, who was 4 years old, was found to have identified Kidd under “suggestive” circumstances, the order said. According to the Midwest Innocence Project, prosecutors withheld evidence when Kidd was tried.
‘Unsustainable burden’
Unlike every other police department in Missouri, the KCPD is under state control and governed by the five-member Board of Police Commissioners. Four commissioners are appointed by the governor, while Lucas fills the fifth seat.
The Kidd settlement, along with other recent high-profile settlements, have created “an unsustainable burden on Kansas City taxpayers for an agency controlled by the state of Missouri,” Lucas said.
“When City Council reviewed the budget, they deserved a reasonable estimate of anticipated liabilities facing Kansas City taxpayers from soon-to-be settled lawsuits,” said Lucas, who made the motion to approve the Kidd settlement at the last police board meeting.
“Budgeting cannot pretend away lawsuits with eight-figure settlement demands,” he said.
This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
