KKW tweeted out the message to Governor Jerry Brown Sunday, saying ... "Governor Brown, please add Kevin Cooper to your legacy of smart, fair and thoughtful criminal justice reforms." She retweeted an opinion article from the NYT titled "Justice Delayed, With a Life on the Line."

The article's author, Nicholas Kristof, argues that Cooper -- a black man who was convicted of 4 heinous murders in Chino Hills, CA in the '80s -- might've been framed for the crime. He's currently on death row at San Quentin, and Kristof says an advanced DNA test could exonerate him. Kristof reports that Gov. Brown has dragged his feet on ordering one.

He cites another convicted murderer -- a white man named Lee, who was a suspect in the Chino Hills case, but was not arrested or prosecuted in connection to it -- who says he is willing to provide his own DNA to clear his name. Lee's girlfriend at the time suggested to police he might've been involved, and produced his coveralls which were never tested.

Now, Kim is asking Gov. Brown to make Kevin Cooper part of his recent criminal justice legacy before he leaves office in January. He recently signed a variety of bills into law that touched on criminal justice reform ... but none that appear to be directly helpful for Cooper.