What followed was a three-decade-long miscarriage of justice driven not by one bad cop or a single piece of flawed evidence but a system that conspired against justice. Anthony Ray Hinton (born June 1, 1956) is an American activist, writer, and author who was wrongly convicted of the 1985 murders of two fast food restaurant managers in Birmingham, Alabama. He was kept going by his mothers unfailing belief in his innocence and the support of a childhood friend, Lester Bailey, who never missed a visit all the years Hinton was in prison. We change lives. There were no fingerprints and no evidence that the shootings at the restaurants were even related, but one police officer reached the incredible conclusion that all three crimes were committed by the same black man who lived with his mom or auntie. Supreme Court backs Bryan Stevenson's 15-year effort to reexamine death The refusal of state prosecutors to re-examine this case despite persuasive and reliable evidence of innocence is disappointing and troubling.. Ten-year-old Ninas visit to the Oval Office. She knows the color of your skin, your education level, and how much money you have in the bank. PROSECUTOR BOB MCGREGOR', 'My wrists were shackled and cuffed together, a heavy chain linking them to the leg irons around my ankles. | Instant PDF downloads. The only expert willing to testify at that price was a civil engineer with very little ballistics training and limited by having one eye; he admitted in court to having trouble in operating the microscope. Since his release, he has travelled in the US and abroad, speaking about the injustice he endured, and how religious faith, his mother, and friendship helped him survive. A total of 54 men walked past Hinton's cell on their way to execution. 'Where is My Justice?' | University of Pittsburgh Discover Anthony Ray Hinton's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. The prison warden wasnt keen but after Hinton told him that it was better to have inmates applying their minds to reading than to ways of causing disruption, he reluctantly agreed. On the night of his execution he finally admitted that all his life his father had lied to him, and that now he knows what love is, said Hinton. "The sun does shine," he said as he was embraced by family and friends. Now he has written his own book, The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row, recounting his long battle for freedom against an Alabama judicial system that showed no interest in whether it was planning to take an innocent mans life. Anthony Ray Hinton still wakes up at 2.45am expecting breakfast to be passed through the bars of his cell. Hintons case was taken up by the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama. "To successfully plead actual innocence, a petitioner must show that his conviction resulted from a constitutional violation," Musgrove's lawyers wrote in court documents submitted to U.S. District Judge David Proctor, who is considering the case. He has spoken out against the death penalty, calling it a "form of lynching. Im sorry this happened you, said Woodfin. In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. An update on major political events, candidates, and parties twice a week. Stunned, confused, and only twenty-nine years old, Hinton knew that it was a case of mistaken identity and believed that the truth would prove his innocence and ultimately set him free. Anthony Ray Hinton was exonerated from death row in April 2015. Youll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com. 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The Sun Does Shine Chapter 8 Summary & Analysis | LitCharts My favourite getaway was visiting Queen Elizabeth. The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row (Oprah's So he started a book club. The judge finally dismissed the charges after prosecutors said that scientists at the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences tested the evidence and confirmed that the crime bullets cannot be matched to the Hinton weapon. First approached by two white male detectives, Anthony was asked to place his hands behind . Four years after Hintons release on April 3, 2015, theres been a lot hes done for that guard to see. "30 Years in Hell": Anthony Ray Hinton delivers powerful lecture [12] On April 1, 2015 the Jefferson County district attorneys office moved to drop the case. I told him just to watch and see, Hinton recalled. Were seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. Hinton was charged with two murders. I looked at her living in this palace and in a way she is imprisoned just like I was. (334) 269-1803 After 10 years on death row a group fighting racial injustice and inequality, took up the case. Anthony Ray Hinton net worth and salary income estimation In the meantime, hes working on meeting the Queen and Sandra Bullock. Im a true believer that God will never allow you to go through anything that He cannot bring you out of, said Hinton, 62. His father refused to shake our hands and Hays told us later that his father told him: Dont you ever invite a nigger over to this table. Hays felt bad. If youre looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. Birmingham, Ala. Anthony Ray Hinton, who spent 28 years on Alabama's death row for two murders despite his claims of innocence, walked free earlier this month after prosecutors admitted they couldn't prove his guilt. You listen to men crying and hollering at all times of the day and night. The Sun Does Shine - UVU REVIEW When Hinton told the arresting detective that he had the wrong man, the detective told him that he didnt care whether he did it or not. "[17], On May 19, 2019, Hinton spoke at St. Bonaventure University's commencement exercises and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Human Letters degree. Some find inspiration in the story of how Hinton retained his humanity and resilience on death row, encouraging fellow inmates with the book club and a sense of solidarity, or in the unswerving loyalty of Lester Bailey, the friend who never missed a monthly visit and who now lives a couple of houses away. "I truly believe God sent me to Death Row to meet Henry Francis Hays and to show him what real love felt like," says Anthony Ray Hinton on a 700 Club video. Police arrived at the house near Birmingham, Alabama, and arrested him for the. So, I thought about her more often than anyone.. If the United States Supreme Court hadnt intervened I wouldnt be here today, he said. Sen. Paul Bussman proposed legislation to grant Anthony Ray Hinton $1.5 million over three years, who spent 28 years on death row for two murders . $200 per post at $10/CPM. Prosecutors admitted that they could not match four bullets found at the crime scene with Hinton's mother's gun, and that this was the only evidence offered in the original murder trial. Join Washington Post senior critic-at-large Robin . I feel like Im a better leader after reading your book. I had to smell the flesh of a human being set on fire, hearing the electricity being turned on, seeing the lights blinking then thinking, When is it going to be my day? Former federal and state prosecutor Bob McGregor dies - al.com In 1999, two ballistics experts from Texas and a third from Virginia proved Hintons innocence; however, the U.S. Supreme Court didnt rule his case be retried until 2014. But the woman quickly identified Musgrove and Rogers after meeting privately with the detective, Musgrove's lawyers contend. The prosecutor acknowledged to the jury that the only significant evidence against Hinton was the ballistics test. "Real love had no color." It wasn't always easy for Ray to forgive. The prosector, Bob McGregor, was twice found by courts to have illegally discriminated against African Americans by excluding them from juries. With no credible expert to challenge the States assertion of a match, Mr. Hinton was convicted and sentenced to death. In 1985, Birmingham, Alabama, courts convicted Hinton of murdering two restaurant managers, said the exonerated 30-year inmate. "I ask someone please tell me tonight where I do find justice for spending 30 years in solitary confinement?". April 25, 2015 And in May, he will be the keynote speaker at the St. Bonaventure University graduation in St. Bonaventure, N.Y., where he will receive an honorary doctorate. One month free trial to the Monitor Daily. My retweet of his post on Nina and Mr. Bidengot a lot of love.Does Nina want to be a journalist when she grows up? Anthony Ray Hinton did not sleep very well the night before Tuesday's presidential election. The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton reveals his three decades in prison; . I wasnt a fool. In 2014, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned his conviction based on his attorneys deficient representation, and Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Laura Petro ordered a new trial. unless you renew or The Christian Science Monitor is an international news organization offering calm, thoughtful, award-winning coverage for independent thinkers. In July of 1985, while living with his mother, he was arrested for the suspicion of first-degree robbery, first degree kidnapping and first-degree murder. Perhacs hired a civil engineer who had impaired vision and didnt have any forensic experience. He wants his freedom, he wants justice, and he wants to kill, rage in the early months of his imprisonment, continuing to imagine how he would kill, a cell very close to Ray. Hinton was 29 when was convicted and sentenced to die in the state's electric chair. Wrongful Convictions and The Case of Anthony Ray Hinton Another detective on the case, Doug Acker, had been tried three years earlier for torturing black prisoners with electric cattle prods and beatings to obtain confessions, but was acquitted by an all-white jury. Former death row inmate speaks on injustice in US As for the State prosecutor, Robert McGregor, he died of cancer in 2010. Mr. Hinton thanked his supporters and legal team. He had been wrongly identified by the survivor of another armed robbery but, as he had been at work miles away from where the shootings took place, believed the mistake would soon be sorted.However, before he even made it to the police station Anthony Ray realised he was in deep trouble. Henry Hays was cheated all his life. Hinton said he had one request for the new ballistic experts, hired in 1999. At an appeal hearing, prosecutors dropped their original tactic of mocking the defence ballistics expert and now, playing for time, built him up as a credible witness whose testimony had been rejected by the jury. Charlotte Morrison, presentation speaker and senior attorney at EJI, described the racial injustice present in Hintons case. After 39 years in prison, an epic tale of innocence found and bitterness lost, Death penalty: The state of capital punishment in the US, worldwide. He organized a book club that was allowed to meet in the prison's law library. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Morrison said Hinton was convicted in Jefferson County, where McGregor was promoted after he had been found in Mobile to have removed every black juror from his jury.
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