In July 2005, Kevin's younger, Joseph "Bam Bam" Long, collapsed in his home Meacham Park, St. Louis County. Bam Bam's grandma ran outside to ask the police - who were already at the scene messing with Kevin's car - to help. At first they did nothing, and continued running the car's information. Eventually, though, they did make their way inside, where they divided their time between standing around with their arms folded waiting for paramedics to arrive, and searching the house for Kevin, who had a warrant for a misdemeanor charge. Kevin watched from the house next-door as police repeatedly step over his dying brother as they walked around searching the house. When Officer McEntee arrived he was asked to remove Bam Bam's hysterical mother - an act that the county prosecutor, Robert McCulloch, has tried to portray as a kind and loving act, involving the two sitting on the porch with McEntee comforting Bam Bam's mother and holding her hand. Those at the scene recall something different: McEntee repeatedly pushing her out of the house and physically restraining her. This madness went on for close to twenty minutes and was ended on by the loading of Bam Bam into the ambulance.
Most of the family followed the ambulance to hospital, but before Bam Bam and Kevin's grandma could leave she was approached by Officers McEntee and Nelson who asked about Kevin. While talking to her, McEntee glanced nextdoor at the at the window Kevin was in. When their eyes met McEntee smiled at him. He nudged Nelson, pointed to window and they both smiled and then left.
After a half hour, Kevin's grandma returned with the sad news. When Kevin found out Bam Bam was dead, he was furious: he kicked his bedroom door off its hinges. He tried calming down some and decided to take a walk to try and cool down more, to try and sort through the overwhelming and confusing feelings he had.
At some point, Kevin encountered a Kirkwood police car. Kevin tried walking by without provoking a scene, but did glance over at the car. Sitting inside was Officer William McEntee, once again smiling at Kevin. This is where Kevin lost it. He turned to the car, pulled out his gun and unloaded seven rounds into McEntee's car. "This's what you get! This's for Bam Bam!" he yelled as he pulled the trigger. McEntee put the car in gear and accelerated up the street, while Kevin took off run down it.
At the intersection at the base of the street, he encountered a large crowd of people that his mother was in. She asked him what he'd done and what was going to happen to Kevin's two-year old daughter, Cori. Kevin took off in a dead sprint to see Cori one last time. He ran down a path between two houses that would let him out right next to his daughter's house. But when Kevin exited the gangway, he didn’t see the usual look of the front yards. Instead he stumbled upon the scene of McEntee struggling to get away from his crashed car. Kevin lost it again and shot McEntee once more.
Since that day in 2005, Kevin has had two trials for the murder of McEntee. The first was in March and ended in a hung jury: 10 for Murder in the Second Degree, 2 for Murder in the First. An account of this first trial can be found here: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&f riendID=158716432&blogID=317019559&Mytoken=5819F44A- 1703-4925-8772897C5951CA4C16753036. Kevin's re-trial just ended last week (November 9), during which Kevin was convicted of Murder One and sentenced to death.
Since his arrest in July 2005, the State, its courts and media have attempted to portray Kevin as a heartless killer. Stalking the streets of Mecham Park, ready to off the first cop he encountered. But the fact of the matter is that Kevin did not plan things out. He didn't wait over two years, caging McEntee in the meantime and then convinced other people to become involved in the killing, which is precisely what the State has done in the matter. The State is the real heartless killer. The State is one with premeditation. The State is the ever-present hitman. The State is the one continually and repeatedly killing people. The State is the mass murderer. The State is the real killer.
The least we can do is see how Kevin is doing from time to time by writing him and by attending his appeals proceedings - letting him know he's not alone and showing the court that Kevin is part of a community and not a menace to everyone. The most we can do is make it as difficult as possible for the State to function: Its taken one of the rabble and we're gonna fight like hell to get him back.
Fire to the Prisons.
