When are they coming to put me in that chair and strap me down with electricity attached to my brain?, If I live to be 120 Ill never get those memories out of my head. [18] He had previously spoken to the students of the Class of 2019, six months after his release, in 2015. Anthony Ray Hinton was sentenced to death and held in solitary confinement for 28 years on Alabama's death row before he was exonerated in 2015. But the woman quickly identified Musgrove and Rogers after meeting privately with the detective, Musgrove's lawyers contend. Every hour of every day, I imagined how I would kill McGregor, he wrote. I told him dont feel bad for what your father is saying. About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review under the charming heading of do things that dont interest you: Many things that end up being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. All rights reserved. Were run by a church, but were not only for church members and were not about converting people. He has even forgiven his per-secutors and the state officials who have never apologised to him. 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. There was not a moment during the presentation where I was wishing I was elsewhere., Gerard said Hintons story is relatable to her future field because she hopes to teach her students not to racially stereotype people and to recognize injustice and stand up to it.. It just shows you what God can do if you put your faith and trust in Him.. Today, as EJI Community Educator, hes a tireless and powerful advocate for abolition of the death penalty. He feels like a slave as they lead him into the backseat of a van and drive for three hours. Anthony Ray Hinton has been on death row for over 28 years for a crime EJI firmlybelieves he did not commit. Nina was prepared with a question for press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at the kids briefing that morning with offspring of White House reporters, but she wasnt called on. In the book, the prosecutor described Musgrove and Rogers as being "thugs" employed by a drug dealer who wanted Barron killed over suspicions he stole 40 pounds of marijuana. Hinton regarded the ruling as political and racial. And for 16 years, they fought for justice on behalf of Hinton. if he dies in the electric chair, he is going to heaven; he looks at, the $350 for the test, but he hopes this will vindicate him. Anthony Ray even asked to launch a book club for fellow inmates and soon killers, rapists and Ku Klux Klan members were meeting in the prison library to discuss novels. I sat on my bunk and told my mind, This is where were going to be for a while. you are agreeing to our, Fleeing Sudan: Evacuation challenge tests nations values, In Philippines, joint military drills leave locals torn on US presence, What Paraguay election means for Taiwan, and US-China competition. In one of them another manager was killed. I want to give young men hope, the hope that has inspired me to do what I am doing.. 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. "They had two guys on death row. The three most recent Christian Science articles with a spiritual perspective. Add it all up, the defense claims, and Musgrove should be set free. 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. subscription. The man mentioned by McGregor as the alleged drug didn't testify against Musgrove and Rogers and was never prosecuted in the slaying. Anthony Ray Hinton, an inmate on Alabama's death row, asks us to decide whether the Alabama courts correctly applied Strickland to his case. Hinton said he had one request for the new ballistic experts, hired in 1999. Hinton finally left death row and not in a body bag. The store's exterminator arrived after midnight and found assistant manager John Davidson's truck still in the parking lot. Anthony was born in Alabama in June 1956 and by the time he was 29 years old, he was accused of the murders of Thomas Wayne Vason and John Davidson. This message will appear once per week The first few years of prison were tough. [8] In June 1989, that judgment was affirmed by the unanimous Supreme Court of Alabama. I used it so I wouldnt have to think about the hell I was in.. 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. The students had been so inspired by his earlier address that over 100 of them submitted a petition to the university administration, asking that he be invited to speak at commencement.[19]. Its a fear of which hes never entirely free. "[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. However, the number of members also gradually became smaller when book club members were executed. Anthony Hinton, 29 years old with no history of violent crime, steadfastly maintained his innocence. [4], After Hinton's arrest, his public defense attorney did not provide adequate counsel. McGregor, whose zealous tactics were attacked by lawyers for Hinton and Musgrove, described Hinton's case as a favorite cause of "anti-death-penalty gangsters." The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. In the meantime, hes working on meeting the Queen and Sandra Bullock. I said, There was no way because I wasnt supposed to be there in the first place. Remarkably, Anthony Ray has rebuilt his life after having half of it taken away by institutional racism and a corrupt criminal justice system. Anthony Ray, then a 29-year-old warehouseman, was mowing his mum's lawn when his life was torn apart in July 1985. I didnt forgive those people who did this to me because they asked me to or because they called me or wrote me. Bob McGregor (Author) 43 ratings Hardcover $24.99 3 Used from $21.12 10 New from $18.41 Paperback $14.49 2 Used from $14.76 10 New from $11.25 This book is the account of the author's eight and a half years of prosecuting for the State of Alabama. on his face. We need her. Anthony Ray Hinton is the 152nd. I had nothing but I would prefer to be naked and free than on death row for a crime I didnt commit.. judged him guilty from the second he was arrested, as did the police. Now he is stocky with a greying beard to match his hair. Designed by Withemes, BY TUCKER REILLY, MANAGING EDITOR St. Bonaventure University hosted a, By Tucker Reilly, News Assignment Editor The All Bonaventure Reads, Students eat dinner on the Oxford Trip Photo Courtesy of Mike Jones-Kelley, Construction vehicles on the St. Bonaventure University campus BY: DAVID SCIBILIA, NEWS. On Monday, Hinton visited campus as the All Bonaventure Reads speaker. He grew up in Praco, Alabama, outside of Birmingham. Anthony Ray Hinton was born on June 1, 1965. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. My favourite getaway was visiting Queen Elizabeth. (modern). If the United States Supreme Court hadnt intervened I wouldnt be here today, he said. He was sent to solitary con- finement at Alabamas Holman correctional facility nicknamed the Slaughter Pen and regarded as Americas most dangerous jail. 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. (including. I knew then it was about race. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. People ask me all the time, How is it that you dont hate the very people that did that to you? I look at them and I said, If you can tell me what hate would profit me, then I would hate. When you hate, it kills your soul, and if I was to hate, then they have won. He could smell burning flesh every time someone was electrocuted. He also visited Oprah Winfrey, whos looking at making a movie about his 2018 book,The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row.The book, which was on the New York Times best seller list in June 2018 and on Oprahs Summer Book Club list, was nominated for a 2019 NAACP Image Award. "The sun does shine," he said as he was embraced by family and friends. Charlotte Morrison, presentation speaker and senior attorney at EJI, described the racial injustice present in Hintons case. I thought that it would be somewhat interesting; however, I did not expect it to be as good of a presentation as it was. 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. I apologize to you.. They cared about the colour of my skin. 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. And if thats not enough, Hinton is a sought-after public speaker, delivering messages of faith, forgiveness and a flawed criminal justice system. What happened to Mr. Hinton is not a mistake, Morrison said. 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. Hear about special editorial projects, new product information, and upcoming events. 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. What I learned about forgiveness is that its not about the other person. She knows the color of your skin, your education level, and how much money you have in the bank. I get up and I go outside at night and see the stars and the moon. Exonerated 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. I have never seen an auditorium of 500 people so attentive to a speaker.. For 16 years, it was as though my life didnt matter.. I didnt forgive them so that they could sleep good at night. Teachers and parents! Im told that the phone can tell what time and where I was at. [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. [4] Hinton was portrayed by O'Shea Jackson Jr. in the 2019 film Just Mercy. And Im hoping that if ever I was charged with anything again I could say, you can check my phone and hopefully it will clear me, he said. Nightline profiles Mr. Hintons release and his first days of freedom. We Conservative pushback on the rise. [emailprotected]. What prison did to me was made me realize that I wasnt really enjoying life the way that I am now, he said. I need you to accept this because, if you dont, youre going to hang yourself. Hinton continued, wiping his face and eyes. Something went wrong, please try again later. Anthony Ray, who now campaigns for the abolition of the death penalty, said: I hope my book and the movie can promote harmony so no one ever has to go through what I went through., Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. [2] During the appeals, EJI introduced evidence from three forensic experts, including one from the FBI, showing that the bullets from the crime scenes did not match Hinton's mother's gun. PDF downloads of all 1725 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. "[17], On May 19, 2019, Hinton spoke at St. Bonaventure University's commencement exercises and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Human Letters degree. [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. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Police seized an old revolver belonging to Mr. Hintons mother, and state firearm examiners said that was the gun used in all three crimes. During Hintons time on Death Row, 54 men and one woman were put to death in a chamber that was 33 feet away from his cell. Anthony Ray Hinton did not sleep very well the night before Tuesday's presidential election. One investigating detective, Doug Acker, had been tried three years earlier for beating suspects and torturing them with cattle prods to coerce confessions. You dont have a Christian Science Monitor We conclude that they did not and hold that Hinton's trial attorney rendered constitutionally deficient performance. Maybe even a little jumpy, like you do when you have a big secret you are just dying to tell. The book club began with a handful of death row prisoners meeting in the jails law library, and for a few years the numbers grew as word spread that reading was as good an escape as any of them could expect. Mr. Hinton walked out of the Jefferson County Jail a free man. After 30 years in custody for crimes he did not commit, Mr. Hintons release is bittersweet. I met Hinton, 61, at the rural Alabama home where he lived with his mother, Buhlar, when he was arrested in 1985. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 67 years old? 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. Anthony Ray Hinton, an innocent man who wrongly served 30 years on death row, shared his story with UWO students at a speaker event last Thursday night. Log in to hide ads. But what I never lost sight of was I was sentenced to death. Monitor journalism changes lives because we open that too-small box that most people think they live in. Four years after Hintons release on April 3, 2015, theres been a lot hes done for that guard to see. The tests concluded the bullets in one of the three shootings definitively came from a different gun and the bullets in the others could not be matched. Hintons boss testified that he was at work cleaning a supermarket warehouse and could not have committed the crime. A judge overturned Ziegler's conviction in 2012, and Ziegler was released after reaching a deal to plead guilty to a reduced charge of aiding and abetting a slaying in return for his release after more than 15 years behind bars. The challenge comes too late for help Musgrove's co-defendant Rogers, who died in prison. An incredible number of schools selected Just Mercy and, unfortunately, Stevenson was not able to speak at St. Bonaventure while still maintaining his caseload and teaching commitments, Brown said. Youll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com. Weeks turned into months, then years. "Here, the evidence shows decisively that Mr. Musgrove is innocent of the crime for which he was sentenced to death.". 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 managers who worked at different places, and who were killed months apart that year, NBC News reports. Addressing a packed room on April 1 that included many lawyers-in . The appeal judge, who oversaw the original trial, took two and a half years to issue a ruling siding with the prosecutions claim that to consider the new ballistics evidence would amount to allowing Hintons case to be re-tried. Mr. Hinton's innocence claim is unusually clear, compelling anduncontradicted. State forensics experts said it not only fired the bullets that killed Davidson but had been used in two other shootings during restaurant robberies. Most of those on death row were African American, but there was a white prisoner Hinton soon learned was Henry Hays, a member of the KKK who beat to death a 19-year-old black man, Michael Donald, and hanged his body from a tree in 1981. Discover Anthony Ray Hinton's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. His community taught him to hate, said Hinton. Hinton, who goes by Ray, was on death row for 28 years until the US Supreme Court overturned two murder convictions for which the evidence was, at best, flawed. Held on death row for nearly 30 years he was finally released on 3 April 2015 after his appeal was taken right up to the US Supreme Court, which ruled that his case should be retried. Police arrived at the house near Birmingham, Alabama, and arrested him for the. If youre looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. That was all they needed," said Jackson, Musgrove's lawyer. . The Jefferson County prosecutor at Musgrove's trial used bogus evidence to win the conviction against an overmatched defense lawyer, just as he did to Hinton a few years earlier, the defense contends. YOU HAVE 20,000 FOLLOWERS: $100 per post at a $5/CPM. and "Y'all blacks always sticking up for each other."[who?] As for the State prosecutor, Robert McGregor, he died of cancer in 2010. Anthony Ray Hinton was born on 1 June, 1956 in Alabama, United States, is an Author, activist. Black, poor, without a father most of my life, one of ten childrenit was actually pretty amazing I had made it to the age of twenty-nine without a noose around my neck. Stevenson is also a professor of clinical law at New York University, Brown said. Copyright 2023 City of Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama: Putting People First, The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row.. He is not hesitant, though, as he tells his story with a visceral anger not only at his own tribulations but at the state of Alabama in the 21st century. He was going to be convicted anyway. 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. Hinton was so angry he refused to speak. [4], The prosecution's only evidence at the trial was a statement that ballistics tests showed four crime scene bullets matched Hinton's mother's gun, which was discovered at her house during the investigation. Im a better person, said Woodfin. In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. He stands in the sight of video cameras and collects receipts from convenience stores. We believe news can and should expand a sense of identity and possibility beyond narrow conventional expectations. I told him just to watch and see, Hinton recalled. Thirty years ago, Mr. Hinton was arrested and charged with two capital murders based solely on the assertion that a revolver taken from his mothers home was the gun used in both murders and in a third uncharged crime. The way the content is organized, One of the antagonists of the book, Bob McGregor is the racist prosecutor for the state of Alabama in. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Barron's wife Libby initially told police she couldn't identify the men who entered their darkened home late at night and shot her husband in the bedroom, and at first she failed to select Musgrove out of a lineup, according to the defense. The expert firmly said the tests did not link the weapon to the shootings, but then the prosecutor tore his credibility apart, belittling him for his poor eyesight and inability to use a microscope properly. Hinton was convicted in 1985 for the murder of two fast-food workers, who were shot in separate robberies . Refine any search. Anthony Ray Hinton A year before Alabama prosecutor Bob McGregor died in 2010, he wrote in his memoir: "I have never had as strong a feeling in trying any other case that the defendant just radiated guilt and pure evil as much as in the Hinton trial." As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Were seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. On Feb. 28, Florida State University students, faculty and guests gathered for the next speaker in the Golden Torch Lecture Series: civil rights activist Anthony Ray Hinton. During the meeting, Hinton told Woodfin that he forgives those who put him in prison. Hinton took a lie-detector test on the. [4] Finally, Hinton was the last prisoner left on death row. In his petition, the lawyer called Alabamas death penalty a perverse monument to inequality. About $2,100 was missing from the safe. Morrison said Bob McGregor, Hintons prosecutor, is the only prosecutor in the country to have been found to approve racial discrimination in jury selection. Hinton, who spent nearly 30 years on death row, will go free Friday, after prosecutors told a court that . He imagined a world in which he married Halle Berry and then Sandra Bullock hes quick to assert there was nothing sexual in it and was a regular for tea with the Queen of England. But it didnt for me.. For 16 years, the state of Alabama refused to retest the bullets because they didnt have to. The First-Year Experience (FYE) program brought the presentation, titled "Stories of Justice and Redemption: The Impact of the Equal Justice Initiative," to St. Bonaventure. [5], In November 2014, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals closed Hinton's case. I looked up at the men around me. Just this week, he flew from Birmingham to Philadelphia to talk to more than 1,500 people at a church only to get up the next morning to catch a plane and speak at Boston University today. That alone should have been enough to overturn the conviction. Just as in Hinton's case, the two were tried before Jefferson County Circuit Judge James Garrett, who has since retired, by then Assistant District Attorney Bob McGregor, who has since died. His best-selling memoir, The Sun Does Shine, brought him to the attention of Oprah, who bought the film rights to his story after interviewing him on TV. 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. He worked on Hintons case for 16 years. He was cheated by his father who taught him to hate. First approached by two white male detectives, Anthony was asked to place his hands behind . Hinton would smell burning flesh from the electric chair, also called Yellow Mama, because it was close to his cell.
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