Kim Kardashian posted a photograph Monday referencing a death row inmate named Ivan Cantu but accidentally used the image of an innocent man.
The reality TV star has been actively involved in criminal justice reform, but this time, her fact-checking was lacking. Kardashian has been attempting to free Cantu, who has always maintained his innocence in the 2000 murders of his cousin James Mosqueda and his cousin’s fiancée, Amy Kitchen, according to TMZ. Instead, she posted a photograph of Ivan A. Cantu — a project manager from New York who had no involvement in the case whatsoever.
Ivan has 7 days to live. Please sign the petition to demand that Collin County DA Greg Willis request to withdraw the execution date. https://t.co/Oq4RDGaXIM https://t.co/qkNU4juu6d
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) February 21, 2024
“To all my friends and family, I am not getting executed, some idiot that runs @kimkardashian used my picture instead of Ivan “Abner” Cantu,” the man wrote to his social media account, according to TMZ.
TMZ asked the innocent man about his experience, and he said he understands that mistakes happen and that someone from Kardashian’s team likely shared the incorrect image by accident. However, the fact remains that Cantu’s identity was shared to Kardashian’s 364 million Instagram followers.
Cantu said that his family discovered this odd error around the time of his 60th birthday, so he believed they were playing some sort of trick or joke on him when they shared this information, according to TMZ.
3 jurors call for a review of hidden evidence; Perjury by star witness; Recanted testimony by another; The pants don’t fit. Once again, #TooMuchDoubt to execute #IvanCantu on Weds. Petition: https://t.co/qK4phqPp9G #StopExecutions @KimKardashian @helenprejean @CousinsBloodPod
— Death Penalty Action (@DeathPenaltyAct) February 26, 2024
He said he is open to receiving an apology from Kardashian, but so far, it doesn’t appear that she has attempted to rectify the matter with Cantu directly. Kardashian did remove the flawed social media post. (RELATED: Kim Kardashian’s 10-Year-Old Daughter Is So Spoiled She Now Has Diamonds On Her Teeth)
Kardashian first shed light on the case of the incarcerated Cantu in January. He is scheduled to be executed Wednesday after a prior execution date of April 2023 was successfully appealed, according to TMZ. She asked her fans to sign a petition to encourage the District Attorney to withdraw the execution case.