Kenneth Creighton would like to have back the five years of his life he waited beyond bars in Rikers Island for a trial that would never happen. Now he’s suing the city of New York for the lost time. Creighton was only seventeen years old when he was arrested in 2006. Police say he handed his brother a weapon inside a mini-mart which he used to kill someone inside of the store. Kenneth Creighton was indicted a year later on charges of criminal possession of a weapon and criminal facilitation.
Because of delays in bringing his brother’s murder case to trial, Creighton, who was to be tried alongside his brother, waited in prison until 2012, never to stand trial on his own. When his brother finally pled guilty, Creighton was simply released.
“He was waiting for trial for five years and he was actually asking repeatedly ‘Let me go to trial’ and he was told ‘No, no, no’ and finally after 5 years, they let him go,” said Michael Jaffe, Creighton’s civil attorney.
But the I-Team has learned that another man, Kijafa Spruell, says he was the one who passed the gun to Dior. Spruell says he spoke to the I-Team because he said the statute of limitations on the case has passed.
“Kenny wasn’t even in the bodega at the time,” said Spruell as he watched security video obtained from inside the store.
“This is me in the striped shirt, it was my favorite shirt, and Dior is right here in the black hoodie,” explained Spruell. “Here, I pass the gun to Dior.”
