Anthony Ray Hinton, an innocent man, spent 30 years on death row in Alabama because, he says, he was "black and poor." His name finally cleared, he now campaigns for justice -- which he says. Rays mother, whod visited him almost every week since his incarceration, died in 2002. In the interview, Hinton described how issues of race permeated his case. Anthony Ray, then a 29-year-old warehouseman, was mowing his mum's lawn when his life was torn apart in July 1985. Number three, youre gonna have a white district attorney. Hinton was 29 when was convicted and sentenced to die in the state's electric chair. Mr. Hinton, 29 then, was indigent, and the Supreme Court said last year that the lawyer appointed to represent him, Sheldon C. Perhacs, had mistakenly believed he had only $1,000 to hire an expert witness for the proceedings. Anthony Ray Hinton Equal Justice Initiative. I dont believe the God that I serve is gonna let me die for a crime He knows I didnt commit.. The New York Times bestseller and Oprah's Book Club 2018 Selection. Send a prayer request now, or call 18007007000. Police arrest Anthony Ray Hintonthe man they believe committed three armed robberies that left two restaurant managers dead, and a third wounded. Woman In Wheelchair Miraculously Takes Off Running During A Revival Service In Megachurch Pastor Who Left Ministry For A Time Returns Refreshed, Renewed, The Whosoevers Ryan Ries Kill The Noise, Finland Is Ending Homelessness With This Ingenious Idea, Why Friendships Are Vital to a Healthy Spiritual Life, Another Campus Revival Breaks Out At Cedarville University. At the time of Mr. Hintons initial trial, his lawyer used a visually impaired civil engineer with little expertise in firearms to rebut prosecutors whose case hinged on linking the handgun found in Mr. Hintons home to a string of shootings in and around Birmingham. The panel questioned the findings of the Alabama authorities, but the state remained steadfast. (S. Pelley, Life After Death Row, 60 Minutes, January 10, 2016.) Pain and terror: America's history of racism, Let sleeping dogs lie: Lynching memorial angers some. There were no eyewitnesses or fingerprint evidence; police had no suspects and pressure to solve the murders grew as similar crimes continued. Anthony Ray Hinton spent decades in jail for crimes he did not commit. Jacobs was afraid to publish or write her tale, but Douglass was not, and her story was published in many variations. March 22, 20185:57 AM. #ElectionDay #Vote2020 pic.twitter.com/J2eFOWnheD. The States evidence of a match was wholly discredited by three highly qualified firearms examiners, including the former chief of the FBIs firearm and toolmarks unit, who testified in 2002 that the bullets from all three crimes could not be matched to a single gun at all, much less to Mrs. Hintons gun, and found that her gun could not have fired the bullets from the third uncharged robbery. Anthony Ray Hinton Awarded Honorary Doctorate Degree, Alabama Man Freed After Decades on Death Row, Freed Death Row Inmate: Humor Saved Me from Satan, 122 Commerce Street Montgomery, AL 36104 [4], After Hinton had been on death row for about a decade, Bryan Stevenson at the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a non-profit based in Montgomery, Alabama, picked up his case,[4] handling his defense for 16 years. Anthony Ray Hinton attends "True Justice: Bryan Stevenson's Fight For Equality" New York Screening at SVA Theater on June 24, 2019. Anthony Ray Hinton's wrongful conviction and time on death row is featured in the upcoming drama, Just Mercy. The film, starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, follows attorney. They gonna say you shot him. And youre going to take the rap. In 2014 the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously overturned his conviction on appeal, after which the state dropped all charges against him. Number four, youre gonna have a white judge. Despite pleas by Mr. Hintons lawyers, who cited conclusions by newly enlisted specialists, the state refused for years to reconsider the evidence. 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. "[unreliable source?] Start your day together with God and the GOD TV team. (334) 269-1803 By AFP Reporters Alabaman Anthony Ray Hinton, an African American spent 30 years on death row because, he says, he was "black and poor." His name finally cleared in Alabama, he now campaigns for justice which he says can only be achieved by beating Donald Trump at the ballot box. Have students pair/share with a partner. Hinton is the 152nd person since 1973 to be exonerated from death row in the United States, and the sixth in the state of Alabama. Officers had retrieved a handgun from Mr. Hintons home and, after analyzing it and the recovered bullets, concluded that the shootings were tied. What are your thoughts about the death penalty after reading this article? This is my Yes to Papa God. and "Y'all blacks always sticking up for each other."[who?] The evidence against Hinton was scant: There were no fingerprints at the scenes and no witnesses who placed him there, according to the outlet. He has become an inspirational speaker, traveling the country and the world. Warm-up activity: Think, write, and share with a partner (virtual option create a Google doc or online discussion have students write their answers and respond to at least one other students answer). Following his release, Hinton famously remarked, The sun do shine., Thirty years ago, the prosecution seemed deemed to take my life from me, he continued, according to an NPR report. He has received no compensation. Then he found hope in sharing Christ during his nearly 30 years on death row. He woke up at 5 a.m., showered, brewed himself some coffee and, not knowing how long he would have to wait, made himself breakfast that would stick to his ribs. Now a Community Educator with EJI, Ray is doing what he can to bring reform to the justice system. But that isnt what makes this a genuine spiritual experience: that comes from the nearly biblical capacity of the author to endure, to forgive, and finally to triumph. By Christina Gould, SAL Patron Services Manager. We gonna have a white judge. 3. Instead, he retained a visually-impaired civil engineer with no expertise in firearms identification who admitted he could not operate the machinery necessary to examine the evidence. Among their efforts for criminal justice reform, the non-profit provides legal aid to those whove been imprisoned unjustly. I said, Henry, I truly believe that you are going to Heaven, says Ray. During their unlikely friendship, Ray saw God change Henry from a man full of hatred, to one who knew Gods love and had found redemption in Jesus Christ. Executions are carried out in the name of the people of Alabama and we should all be concerned if we make oursystem less reliable and the execution of innocent people more likely. Join Washington Post senior critic-at-large Robin . Our tax dollars that paid for the judge and the prosecutor that prosecuted him. One of those people was Henry Hays, a KKK member on death row for lynching a Black teenager. He was convicted because hes poor, Mr. Stevenson said. All Rights Reserved, U.S. History, U.S. Government & Civics, Criminal Justice, Legal Studies. [3], In February 2014, the Supreme Court of the United States vacated the state court conviction in a unanimous per curiam decision. Hintons luck changed, however, when Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer with the Equal Justice Initiative, took on his case. We hired three of the nations best firearms experts, says Charlotte. Anthony Ray Hinton speaks to students on November 13, 2018, in the . The only evidence that the state ever had claimed, connected Mr. Hinton, did not exist.. One of his arresting officers explained his fate this way, after the prisoner told him he could prove he had been working at the time of one of the murders: You know, I dont even care whether you did or didnt do it In fact, I believe you didnt do it. Ray still remembers one of their last conversations before Henrys execution in 1997. Hinton was sentenced to death and held on the state's death row for 28 years, and was later released in 2015. Share your prayer requests, receive prayer and pray for others! Anyone can read what you share. But it would all fall on deaf ears, including his court-appointed lawyer. This was contested by another expert,a civil engineer with visual impairments hired by Hintons public defender. Number two, a white man is gonna say you shot him, whether you shot him or not, believe, me I dont care, says Ray. The Sun Does Shine is an extraordinary testament to the power of hope sustained through the darkest times, now adapted for younger readers, with a revised foreword by Just Mercy author Bryan Stevenson. The bill never even made it out of committee. For your mom not to be here the day that you are released, to run into her arms and say, Im home, Mom isI try my best to be the son that she brought me up to be, says Ray. His book is a harrowing masterpiece 'Let sleeping dogs lie': Lynching memorial angers some Anthony Ray Hinton. The first three years, I was in a stage of hating, says Ray. Anthony Ray Hinton was a man wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit back in the year 1985 and what happened was that two fast food restaurants in Birmingham Alabama were robbed and both Mangers were shot dead named Thomas Vason and John Davidson and on a later date of July 25th on the same year another restaurant was robbed in Bessemer Your natural reaction was it-it's over. Hinton (portrayed in the movie by O'Shea Jackson Jr.) was arrested and convicted in Alabama in 1985 for the murders of two fast food restaurant managerswho worked at different places, and who were killed months apart that year, NBC News reports. By making the state postconviction process even more complicated and arbitrary, the law increases the likelihood that clients on death row will not receive full and fair review of their cases. [5][7] The jury disregarded the testimony of Hinton's boss, who testified that he was at work during the time of the alleged crimes. What happened to make him stop accepting defeat and start fighting back? Then Anthony spent the first three years in the prison full of bitterness in his heart. Watch a trailer here. His claims of innocence would fall on deaf ears, including those of his court-appointed lawyer. Anthony Ray Hinton found it easier to adjust than most people, when the pandemic first halted society a year ago, with its mandated lockdowns and widespread closures. I was released from death row. Anthony Ray Hinton, who was on death row for nearly 30 years, had been charged and convicted in the 1985 murders of two Birmingham area fast-food managers. Mr. Hinton, during an interview in which he sometimes cried and buried his head in his hands, lashed out at the officials whose decisions he said had kept him wrongly imprisoned. They just didn't take me from my family and friends. Ala. As she desperately prays for healing, hear the message she receives from God on todays A woman receives an answer to a prayer she never wanted to pray. You dont know freedom until its taken from you, Hinton told The Washington Post on Tuesday night. Searching for Justice explores criminal justice reforms unfolding across the country, as the leaders from both sides of the political aisle attempt to end mass incarceration by rethinking laws that some say have become barriers to work, housing, and economic stability. So Ive got to forgive. Under the Fair Justice Act, I'd be dead. -- Anthony Ray Hinton spent more than half his life on death row in southern Alabama. Anthony Ray Hinton spent 30 years on death row for a crime he didn't commit. [2] Hinton was sentenced to death and held on the state's death row for 28 years before his 2015 release.[2][3][4][5][6]. All of yall always doing something and the moment you get caught, you say you didnt do it. What do you do with that? asks Ray. His book is a harrowing masterpiece. . Anthony hated the men who did it to him. They began, he said, with his arrest in one shooting that occurred while witnesses said he was at work miles away. Hinton wasnt eligible to vote in the 2016 presidential election. Mr. Hintons release from the Jefferson County jail, where he was being held awaiting a new trial that was ordered last year, came close to three decades after a court-appointed lawyer mounted such a feeble defense that the United States Supreme Court ruled it was constitutionally deficient.. After 30 years in custody for crimes he did not commit, Mr. Hintons release is bittersweet. Moving forward, he chose to pray for those men who set him up instead. But he was innocent. He has also guest lectured at multiple universities and travels the country giving professional development on comics as engaging literature. And you know why? I said, No. He said, You got a white man. Hinton began his talk by explaining the context of his arrest, where he was charged with first-degree robbery, kidnapping and attempted murder. And I say that not with malice in my heart. Police arrived at the house near Birmingham, Alabama, and arrested him for. Hintonstarted a book club while he was incarcerated, and went on to write a memoir about his experience, called, The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row. Since its publication in 2018, the book has been widely praised, with Oprah Winfrey selecting it for her official book club last June and applauding Hinton in a string of interviews, according to CBS This Morning. Ray would spend his time fighting not only a legal system that would block every one of his appeals, but the bitterness in his heart. The 64-year-old, whose story was featured in the HBO documentary film True Justice, is one of thousands of formerly incarcerated Americans who are casting ballots amid a new movement to restore their reentry into society and a reckoning on criminal justice and racism in America. Get daily or weekly highlights from The 700 Club delivered to your inbox. Read this article and answer the following questions. Men indicted on separate officer assault charges. Smyth has spoken about how he uses comics in his classroom at numerous conferences including Comic Cons in San Diego, New York and Chicago as well as at the Pennsylvania and National Council for the Social Studies conferences. They had every intention of executing me for something I didn't do. On Tuesday, he cast a vote for president. "I woke up like I do every morning I knew that my mother was cooking," Hinton recounted. Understanding The Holy Of Holies Inside The Temple. Among the authors whom the prisoners read and discussed were James Baldwin and Harper Lee. He organized a book club that was allowed to meet in the prison's law library. Since then, Hinton has been able to forgive everyone responsible for his imprisonment, because thats how my mother raised me and because I have a God who forgives. But the book club is short-lived, after the prisoners who are left out of it convince the warden it is unfair to allow only some of them to become readers. I realized I was there because the wrong people were in office and I had a chance to begin to put men and women that are going to uphold the Constitution.. If this is where God intends for me to be and die, this is where I die. Anthony Ray Hinton spoke at Allegheny College on Thursday, Sept. 20. . But it doesnt matter. Founded by a lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, it had a track record of overturning unjust convictions and in winning a. Mr. Hinton will speak at Notre Dame Law School about his wrongful conviction in 1985, his years on Alabama's death row, and the experience of freedom. All rights reserved. [4] Hinton was portrayed by O'Shea Jackson Jr. in the 2019 film Just Mercy. A year ago, almost to the day, I traveled to Montgomery, Alabama for the Equal Justice Initiative's unveiling of the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice.. The court was unable to affirm the forensic evidence of a gun, which was the only evidence in the first trial. Overview: The struggle to adapt to life after conviction is a major challenge, especially for those who were innocent of the crime that led to a prison sentence. Anthony Ray Hinton, an inmate on Alabama's death row, asks us to decide whether the Alabama courts correctly applied Strickland to his case. 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. An all-white jury would find Ray guilty of two counts of capital murder and sentence him to death by electric chair. But something deep inside his character made it possible for him to make friends of everyone near him, from the white man next to him on death row who had lynched a black teenager to almost every single prison guard who met him. Get more than a Sunday sermon. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. But the state court of Alabama refused to overturn his convictions or grant a new trial. Get a daily devotional and encouraging 2-3minute video direct to your inbox. One of the longest serving death row prisoners in Alabama history and among the longest serving condemned prisoners to be freed after presenting evidence of innocence, Mr. Hinton becamethe 152nd person exonerated from death row since 1983 when he wasreleased on April 3, 2015. In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. [4] Finally, Hinton was the last prisoner left on death row. [8] In June 1989, that judgment was affirmed by the unanimous Supreme Court of Alabama. Tennessee Lawmakers Lynching Comment Sparks Outrage, Compared to Neighboring Tennessee, Alabamas Execution Review Falls Short, Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Man Sentenced to Death in Arizona, Alabama Man Allegedly Held in Jail Freezer Dies of Hypothermia, 122 Commerce Street Montgomery, AL 36104 He said, Number three, youre gonna have a white prosecutor. Mr. Hinton was appointed a lawyer who mistakenly thought he could not get enough money to hire a qualified firearms examiner. Hinton was a special guest and speaker at 442 Orange St. on Tuesday evening for an event honoring the innocent on death row hosted by Jewish society Shabtai. Why me? "[16] Kirkus Reviews calls the book, "a heart-wrenching yet ultimately hopeful story about truth, justice, and the need for criminal justice reform. Alabama law provides that compensation may be awarded to a wrongfully incarcerated person if the Committee on Compensation for Wrongful Incarceration finds that hemeets the eligibility criteria, but applying for compensation is often a meaningless exercise because the statute requires alegislative enactment toappropriate the necessary funds. "[14] He completed a memoir entitled The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row (2018), and has given readings and talks around the country about the book and his experiences. Hinton was assigned an incompetent lawyer who was paid $1,000 by the state and then proceeded to hire an incompetent ballistics expert who guaranteed his conviction on fake evidence. He left Notre Dame Law students with a challenge to serve justice. Although he spent nearly three decades on death row and solitary confinement for a crime that he didnt commit, Hinton said he still feels a kinship with returning citizens whose ballots represent another step in the direction of freedom and contributing to society as a free citizen of the United States.
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