Man sentenced to life for deaths of 6 Kansas City firefighters will walk free

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A man serving life in connection with the deaths of six Kansas City firefighters will soon walk free.

The United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri vacated Richard R. Brown’s life sentence. The court resentenced Brown to time served.

Brown was convicted in 1997 and has served nearly three decades in federal prison.

He was convicted in connection with a 1988 highway construction site fire. The fire happened at 71 Highway and 87th Street.

Kansas City firefighters responded to the emergency. Trailers started exploding as firefighters battled the flames. Six firefighters were killed instantly in the fiery explosions.

Pictures of the six Kansas City, Missouri firefighters killed in a fiery explosion in 1988.(KCTV5)

Investigators determined the cause of the fire was arson.

Brown and four other people were eventually convicted in the case. Brown has maintained his innocence over the past 30 years.

Richard Brown and four other people were convicted in connection with a 1988 arson that killed six Kansas City firefighters.(KCTV5)

On February 27, the Court found that Brown’s age at the time of the fire, along with his rehabilitation while in prison justified his release. The court determined the following when making the decision:

• His educational and rehabilitative accomplishments, including earning his GED and completing numerous courses
• A clean disciplinary record for more than ten years
• Positive leadership and work history while incarcerated
• Sentencing disparities when compared to similarly situated co-defendants

In weighing the statutory sentencing factors, the Court determined that nearly 29 years served reflects the seriousness of the offense while also recognizing Mr. Brown’s demonstrated rehabilitation and reduced risk to public safety, the court said in a release about the decision.

Brown will serve five years of supervised release after he leaves prison. He remains responsible for restitution to the Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department, which was part of his sentence.