However, the number of members also gradually became smaller when book club members were executed. Ive always felt that I have the Supreme Lawyer, says Ray. Only by the grace of God, says Ray. See her moment of surrender, and the miracle of life. [10] The Court ruled that Hinton's original defense lawyer had provided "constitutionally deficient" ineffective assistance of counsel, and remanded his case to the Alabama state court for retrial. Id., at 687-688, 694. His book is a harrowing masterpiece. For Ray, it was a bittersweet moment. A polygraph test given by police exonerated him, but the judge (now-retired Circuit Judge James Garrett) refused to admit it at trial. My only crime was being born black in Alabama, Hinton writes, his prosecution nothing less than a lynching in which the white robes of the Ku Klux Klan were replaced by the black robes of justice. Stunned, confused, and only twenty-nine years . By unanimous vote, the court ruled to grant Ray a new trial. If you think there is no reason for another book about a grave miscarriage of American justice, think again. And number five, youre gonna have an all-white jury., Anthony fought to claim his innocence. An Alabama man has been freed after spending nearly 30 years on death row. His lawyer writes: Never have more guards, correctional staff and prison workers pulled me aside to offer assistance during the many years I have worked with Ray. The first three years, I was in a stage of hating, says Ray. Their key piece of evidenceexpert testimony claiming the ballistics report of the bullets pulled from the victims matched a handgun found in Rays home. Anthony Ray Hinton walked out of the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham, Alabama, a free man for the first time in 30 years at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, April 3, 2015. Harriet Beecher Stowe and Harriet Tubman were two of the most well-known abolitionists.. Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs were both able to free themselves from slavery. 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. 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. Hinton began his talk by explaining the context of his arrest, where he was charged with first-degree robbery, kidnapping and attempted murder. $140 per post at $7/CPM. Anthony Ray Hinton leaves the Jefferson County jail in Birmingham, Alabama in April 2015, after nearly 30 years on death row. About $2,100 was missing from the safe. He spent 30 years in prison until, with the help of. . 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. A jury found him guilty, a judge sentenced him to death. I truly believe God sent me to death row to meet Henry Francis Hays, says Ray. Alabama On Sunday, January 10, 60 Minutes aired an interview with Anthony Ray Hinton, who was exonerated on April 3, 2015 after spending nearly 30 years on Alabama 's death row. On February 25, 1985, and July 2, 1985, two fast food managers, John Davidson and Thomas Wayne Vason, were killed in separate incidents during armed robberies at their fast food restaurants in Birmingham. Despite Rays ironclad alibi for at least one of the robberies, and the lack of solid evidence, prosecutors pushed for a conviction. Now, at 58, after spending decades behind bars, Hinton is free. EJI attorneys engaged three of the nation's top firearms . Soon after, prosecutors pushed for conviction upon him, and his appeal for innocence was defeated. Police arrest Anthony Ray Hintonthe man they believe committed three armed robberies that left two restaurant managers dead, and a third wounded. We have a system that is compromised by racial bias, and his case proves it., Weve gotten into a culture, he said in a separate interview, where the pressure to convict and to achieve these outcomes is so great that owning up to mistakes is less frequent than youd like to imagine.. In the interview, Hinton described how issues of race permeated his case. YOU HAVE 20,000 FOLLOWERS: $100 per post at a $5/CPM. Police arrived at the house near Birmingham, Alabama, and arrested him for. The books are still passed around from cell to cell, but the meetings in the prison library are over. 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. The credibility of his ballistics expert - the only one the attorney thought he could hire with the funds available - was discredited by the prosecutor due to the expert's physical limitations and lack of experience. Alabama inmate Anthony Ray Hinton walked out of prison Friday as a free man after 30 years on death row. In 1985, two Birmingham area fast-food restaurants were robbed and the managers, John Davidson and Thomas Wayne Vason, were fatally shot. There were no eyewitnesses or fingerprint evidence; police had no suspects and pressure to solve the murders grew as similar crimes continued. 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.. Anthony Ray Hinton Equal Justice Initiative. To be accused of murder, itto me, it-it dont get no worse than that, says Anthony. Anthony Ray Hinton. By Christina Gould, SAL Patron Services Manager. They didn't care. The lecture began with Hinton recounting the day of his arrest in extreme detail. Anthony hated the men who did it to him. 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. March 22, 20185:57 AM. The Equal Justice Initiative assisted Hinton so that he could cast a ballot for Doug Jones in the 2017 special Senate election. His claims of innocence would fall on deaf ears, including those of his court-appointed lawyer. But last year, the Supreme Court said that Mr. Hintons defense had been unacceptable, setting up a new trial and essentially forcing prosecutors to review the evidence for a case in which they acknowledged the forensic studies were paramount. 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. [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]. Twelve years after the new ballistics tests were ignored by an appeals court in 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court finally overturned Hintons conviction and granted him a new trial, at which point a new judge promptly dismissed the charges, according to a release from the Equal Justice Initiative. Then in 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Rays case. "Just Mercy" opens in limited release on Christmas Day, and hits theaters everywhere on Jan. 10. What do you think can be done to change these racial disparities and to keep cases like that of Mr. Hinton from happening. Mr. Hinton, 58, argued for decades that Alabama officials including the judge who oversaw his trial and is now retired had made a series of compounding mistakes after three shootings in 1985 that left two men dead and another wounded. For 30 years, Anthony Ray Hinton sat on death row for a crime he didn't commit 30 years of "pure hell," as he described it. And Anthony made a decision to accept the reality and still allow God to use him while in prison. Anthony Ray Hinton did not sleep very well the night before Tuesdays presidential election. A Christian man was falsely convicted of murder for 30 years, but he spent his time sharing Jesus inside the cells. 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. And number five, youre gonna have an all-white jury.. Ala. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Your natural reaction was it-it's over. But then, soon, he realized he became the person his mother didnt raise him to be. Hintons luck changed, however, when Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer with the Equal Justice Initiative, took on his case. Feb 24, 2017 Updated Feb 24, 2017. Today, as EJI Community Educator, hes a tireless and powerful advocate for abolition of the death penalty. Breaking Free From The Voice Of Perfection: How Gods Word For You Today: Jesus Is Your Friend, Remarkable Miracles That Are Available For You Too, Turn Down The Noise And Find God In Your Stillness, Prayer Is A Powerful Weapon 5 Effective Strategies For Breakthrough, What I Learned From The Chosen: God Loves Us Enough To Protect Us, Woman In Wheelchair Miraculously Takes Off Running During A Revival Service In Brazil. See Innocence and Race. Anthony Ray Hinton spent 30 years in prison 28 on death row for a crime he didn't commit, and he has been busy since his 2015 exoneration. With the help of his co-author Lara Love Hardin, Hinton conveys all the horror of his years in solitary confinement, barely able to breath in 120F (49C) summer heat, eating food that tasted like dust. Plus, two long lost cousins Hooked on drugs before he was a teen, a meth addict has only one goal in life. We have a system that treats you better if youre rich and guilty than if youre poor and innocent, and his case proves it. [4] Hinton was portrayed by O'Shea Jackson Jr. in the 2019 film Just Mercy. The prosecutors who filed the motion to dismiss the case did not respond to messages seeking comment, and, through a spokesman, the Alabama attorney general declined to be interviewed. . 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. As my good friend Bryan Stevenson says, the moral arc of the universe bends toward justice but justice needs help., How I got 30 years on death row for someone else's crime, 'I went to death row for 28 years through no fault of my own', Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Please check your information and try again or call us at 1-800-759-0700. I said, Henry, I truly believe that you are going to Heaven, says Ray. For more than 15 years, EJI attorneys repeatedly asked state officials to re-examine the evidence in this case, but former Jefferson County District Attorney David Barber, and Attorneys General from Troy King to Luther Strange, all failed to do so. This isnt luck, this was a system, this was actually our justice system, it was our tax dollars who paid for the police officers who arrested Mr. Hinton. He organized a book club that was allowed to meet in the prison's law library. Can God change your life? 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 Mr. Hinton hugs EJI lawyer Charlotte Morrison. Ask students: What would you do if you or a loved one was arrested for a crime they did not commit? BELTON Two Bell County men were indicted by a grand . [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Founded by a lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, it had a track record of overturning unjust convictions and in winning a. When he was 29 . Davidson was still alive when an exterminator came to the restaurant and found him in the restaurant cooler . The refusal of state prosecutors to re-examine this case despite persuasive and reliable evidence of innocence is disappointing and troubling.. No one knows the hardship created by our inefficient system more than I do, Mr. Hinton wrote. He has received no compensation. Death Penalty Information Center | 1701 K Street NW Suite 205 Washington, DC 20006, Phone: 202-289-2275 | Email: [emailprotected], Privacy Policy | 2023 Death Penalty Information Center. But for all yall thats snapping the cameras, I want you to know there is a God.. [18] He had previously spoken to the students of the Class of 2019, six months after his release, in 2015. But it doesnt matter. Hinton speaks about racism's role in conviction. Stunned, confused, and only 29 years old, Hinton knew that it was a case of mistaken identity . Hear Marc Meros reflection on life inside the ring, what knocked him out and A woman is diagnosed with cancer and its spreading quickly. 1. EJIs probe into Rays trial was disturbing; among their findings: witnesses had been manipulated, Rays defense counsel was inept, and the surviving victims initial description of the assailant bore little resemblance to Ray. On July 31, 1985, the police arrested Anthony Ray Hinton for murder. "To be accused of murder, itto me, it-it don't get no worse than that," says Anthony. I dont think the society nor the men that did this to me realized what they took from me, says Ray. Wrongly convicted, he was on death row for decades. Committed Christian Anthony Ray Hinton doesn't use the word "hell" lightly; nevertheless, that's what three decades of solitary confinement in William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Alabama, was like, he says. However, the jury disregarded his testimony because of his poor eyesight and inability to use the microscope correctly. He must do exactly what he said he would do. The panel questioned the findings of the Alabama authorities, but the state remained steadfast. All Rights Reserved, U.S. History, U.S. Government & Civics, Criminal Justice, Legal Studies. When he was arrested the police officer told him that he would have a white judge, a white jury and a white man was going to testify that Mr. Hinton killed a man. 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. [15] Writing for The Guardian, Tim Adams described the book as, "a story of forgiveness and struggle"[16] and concludes that, "his wonderful memoir recreates the ways he escaped from his cell in his head had tea with the Queen of England, married Halle Berry and how he shared that possibility with his fellow death row inmates. Nightline profiles Mr. Hintons release and his first days of freedom. 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. Anthony Ray Hinton speaks to students on November 13, 2018, in the . 5. We are thrilled that Mr. Hinton will finally be released because he has unnecessarily spent years on Alabamas death row when evidence of his innocence was clearly presented, said his lead attorney, Bryan Stevenson. "Thirty years ago, the . Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! This is the state of Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat and we changed things through legislation and the vote. Im going to bring the best out of everybody that come in touch with me, says Ray. Published: Apr. In the summer of 1985 in Birmingham, Alabama, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested, tried, and convicted of the murders of two restaurant workers earlier that year; two crimes he was innocent of. But while Im here, everything around me gonna live. [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. [11] Hinton's original defense lawyer had wrongly thought he had only $1,000 available to hire a ballistics expert to rebut the states case on evidence. Casting a ballot represents a culmination of Mr. Hintons victory over that system., Voting for the first time was like a breath of fresh air. [4], After Hinton's arrest, his public defense attorney did not provide adequate counsel. The New York Times bestseller and Oprah's Book Club 2018 Selection. For a Google doc version of this lesson, click here. Mr. Hinton was appointed a lawyer who mistakenly thought he could not get enough money to hire a qualified firearms examiner. "If God hadn't intervened and sent me his best lawyer, within two years I would . Anthony Ray Hinton's story of being wrongfully convicted and serving almost thirty years on Death Row is one of gargantuan unfairness. It was there on a panel discussion, Reforming Criminal Justice in America . Dont miss reporting and analysis from the Hill and the White House. Anthony Hinton. And so it was not until Friday at 9:30 a.m., one day after a Circuit Court judge ordered his release, that Mr. Hinton exited the jail to hugs, tears and wails of Thank you, Lord!, The State of Alabama let me down tremendously, Mr. Hinton said in his first interview after his release. Watch a trailer here. American activist, writer, and author (born 1956), List of wrongful convictions in the United States, "Anthony Ray Hinton Spent Almost 30 Years on Death Row. And you know why? I said, No. He said, You got a white man. [8] In June 1989, that judgment was affirmed by the unanimous Supreme Court of Alabama. The only evidence that the state ever had claimed, connected Mr. Hinton, did not exist.. I asked God to remove this hatred, says Ray.