Kenneth Ireland, left, and his attorney, Bill Bloss. Ireland was wrongly convicted of the murder of Barbara Pelkey and spent 21 years in prison. He is suing the state of Connecticut. Melanie Stengel/Register

By Randall Beach

Register Staff

NEW HAVEN — Kenneth Ireland Jr. still shakes his head when he ponders the murder of Barbara Pelkey 26 years ago and the lasting ripple effects of her death.

“It’s a terrible situation all the way around,” he said. “There are no winners. A family was destroyed, a woman lost her life.”And Ireland lost half of his life. After being wrongfully convicted in 1989 of murdering Pelkey, he served 21 years of a 50-year sentence until new DNA advances finally cleared his name. He walked out of prison in 2009.
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