I love Wendy and want to get married

KENNY RICHEY today revealed he is considering proposing to his ex-wife as she flew into Edinburgh Airport today for an emotional reunion.

The former Death Row prisoner will spend a month with Wendy Amerud in the city despite their split more than two decades ago.

Speaking to the Evening News, Richey said the pair were hoping to rekindle their relationship.

The 43-year-old plans to return to the United States next month to see his son Sean, 22, and his two grandchildren for the first time.

Richey also told how he:

• Is set to visit a doctor on Tuesday who thinks his heart condition may require surgery.

• Believes his poor health could leave him dead within a year.

• Fears being attacked in Edinburgh by a stranger is "inevitable" and worries about being sent back to prison if he reacts.

• "Dreads" travelling back to the US but wants to say goodbye to his father who has terminal cancer.

• Is only due to receive around £15,000 for a series of media interviews following his release – and has already spent £2000.

Sitting in his mother's flat in Dalry two weeks after his return to Edinburgh, Richey is still struggling to come to terms with an outside world which he had not seen since being jailed in 1987 over an arson attack in which a two-year-old girl died.

Hopping through the hundreds of channels on satellite television, he chain smokes cigarettes and makes repeated trips to the kitchen to make cups of tea.

With his mother Eileen, 63, at work at a launderette, he had plenty of time to ponder today's reunion with Wendy, 50.

He said: "She's coming over to stay for a month. She'll be staying here at mum's, which won't give us a lot of privacy. But we're going to see how things go together and if she likes Edinburgh. If she does, she plans to move here for good."

Richey and his ex-wife married in 1984 but divorced the following year. The couple became close again after speaking accidentally on the phone and spent his first night of freedom together at his brother Steven's home in Ohio.

He said: "I'd been talking on the phone with Sean from prison and one day he wasn't home and Wendy picked up. We started talking about the past. It started from there and we spoke more and more. It just felt right."

Richey revealed he has thought about proposing to Wendy but had not made a decision, preferring instead to see if the couple can cement their relationship first during her stay.

"I don't know if I will propose while she's here. I love her and want us to get married, but we'll have to see how things go.

"I want to have more children, but unfortunately Wendy can't have any more. That's something on my mind."

Stubbing out another cigarette, Richey picked up his newly purchased mobile phone and dialled Wendy's home in Minnesota. "Hello sexy, how are you darling?", he said. "I hope I've not woken you up. Are you getting ready for your flight?"

Richey reminded his former wife to buy him duty free cigarettes before catching her plane.

"I know, I'm going to quit again soon," he added. "And remember to bring something slinky and sexy to wear, too."

Since returning to Edinburgh, Richey has revisited his former homes and his old school, Wester Hailes Education Centre. He has also enjoyed drinks at his local pub, Dickens, in Dalry Road, gone ten pin bowling, and made a trip to The Sapphire Rooms strip bar.

But despite claiming he has had a warm reception in the Capital, he remains concerned his reputation may lead to a violent clash.

He said: "I think it's inevitable that some young guy will want to test my mettle and challenge me. I'm not sure how I'll react. I don't want to go back to prison, and I'm not looking for trouble. I hope it doesn't find me because I don't know if I can back away.

"My mum has been saying, 'just walk away', and I hope I can. I want to get on with my life and I've had no problems so far. The people I've met have been friendly and supportive."

With his father, James, dying from prostate cancer in the US, Richey plans to return to the country where he spent 21 years behind barsthere to visit him. He said:

"I'm not looking forward to being in the States again, but my dad doesn't have long left so I need to see him to say goodbye.

"I'll also get to see my grandkids, for the first time."

Despite repeated health warnings, Richey has been indulging in a diet of junk food and lager since returning to the city. But an appointment with a doctor on Tuesday may reveal he needs an operation to undo damage to his heart.

He said: "When I had the heart trouble in December it wasn't down to excitement. It was just chest pains.

"They're talking about surgery now because of the blockage in my heart. All the cigarettes, beer and good food is not helping. My body is not used to it although I am going to join a gym. I'm not afraid of dying though, I never was."

Asked where he would be in a year's time, Richey fired back: "Dead"

, before adding: "I am worried about my health, but I try not to think about it.

Before he was freed, Richey listened uncomfortably as the aunt of Cynthia Collins, the two-year-old who died in the fire, told Putnam County Court, Ohio, that he would "burn in hell".

He remains adamant he was an innocent man despite pleading "no contest" to a charge of attempted involuntary manslaughter to secure his freedom.

He said: "People on Death Row used to tell me I was a fool not to accept the plea deals years ago. But I like the fact they never got the better of me. I beat the system because I never pled guilty."


Ex-wife happy to be in Capital

KENNY RICHEY'S ex-wife Wendy Amerud looked tired but happy when she arrived at Edinburgh Airport today.

The 50-year-old was on the Continental Airlines flight direct from Newark, New Jersey, which touched down at around 8am.

She arrived alone and was met by half-a-dozen reporters and photographers in the international arrivals hall.

Asked about her trip to Scotland, she said: "Yes, I'm happy to be in Edinburgh."

But when questioned over whether she was hoping to remarry Mr Richey, she would only say: "Don't know, it's been a long day, I wasn't expecting this."


HOME SWEET HOME

DESPITE resting in the comfort of his mother's Dalry home, Kenny Richey is currently house-hunting in the Capital.

And the former convict also plans to buy two dogs, a Rottweiler and an Alsatian, to keep him company.

He said: "My mum loves having me back and it's great to lie in a comfortable bed and make my own tea in a kitchen.

"But I'm looking for my own place at the moment. I don't know where I'll go yet. I'll have to rent because I can't afford to buy.

"Everyone thinks I made £50,000 from newspaper interviews, but it was more like £15,000 and I've only seen £4000 of that. That what I've been living on and I'm down to £2000 already.

"I want a house with a garden if I can. I'm going to get an Alsatian and a Rottweiler. I love animals so I'll get to take them out on walks.

"I always remember Shep, the collie I had back in Edinburgh when I was a kid. He was part of the family who we called 'the bairn'."