Stunned, confused, and only 29 years old, Hinton knew that it was a case of mistaken identity . [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. After 12 more years of litigation, theU.S. Supreme Court reversedthe lower courts, and a new trial was granted. There was no evidence at all to tie Hinton to two of the three murders he was accused of, and he was locked in a supermarket warehouse cleaning floors when a restaurant manager 15 miles away was abducted, robbed and shot. Ray began to realize the person he had become wasnt the one his mother had raised him to bea man who loved God and followed the example of Jesus Christ. 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. Anthony Ray Hinton spoke at Allegheny College on Thursday, Sept. 20. . Today, as EJI Community Educator, hes a tireless and powerful advocate for abolition of the death penalty. He added that from the outset, this case exhibited many of the classic signs of innocence.. [4], Additionally, Hintons boss testified that Hinton was working at the time of the incident, and that he was cleaning the supermarket; despite this, the jury still convicted him. Bryan Stevenson told media this is a textbook example of injustice.. Vanderbilt Law School hosts exonerated death row inmate Anthony Hinton 30 Years on Death Row: Wrongfully Convicted Man Offers Forgiveness Now, at 58, after spending decades behind bars, Hinton is free. 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. "Thirty years ago, the . Men indicted on separate officer assault charges. Joe Nangle will also be honored May 19 Anthony Ray Hinton will deliver the keynote address May 19 at St. Bonaventure University's 159 th Commencement ceremony, almost four years after he left an indelible impression on the class about to graduate.. Hinton was released from prison in April 2015 after spending 30 years on Alabama's death row for a crime he did . Anthony Ray Hinton attends "True Justice: Bryan Stevenson's Fight For Equality" New York Screening at SVA Theater on June 24, 2019. In 2003, for instance, the Alabama attorney general said, The experts did not prove Mr. Hintons innocence, and the state does not doubt his guilt.. What was the turning point in prison for Hinton? Hes also written a book about his journey of forgiveness and redemption, hoping his story will inspire change and healing. We hired three of the nations best firearms experts, says Charlotte. Four, youre gonna have a white judge. Hinton speaks about racism's role in conviction | Local News This lesson is part of NewsHours Searching for Justice series on criminal justice reform. About $2,100 was missing from the safe. A total of 54 men walked past Hinton's cell on their way to execution. After a new round of analysis, prosecutors wrote, state experts found that they could not conclusively determine that any of the six bullets were or were not fired through the same firearm or that they were fired through the firearm recovered from the defendants home.. After 30 years on death row, Anthony Ray Hinton was exonerated over two years ago. At the same time, Republican lawmakers introduced the Fair Justice Act. As Mr. Hinton wrote in an op-ed, had the Fair Justice Act been in place when he was convicted, I would have been executed despite my innocence. Like other men and women sentenced to death in Alabama, where there is no state-funded office to provide counsel for postconviction proceedings,it took years to find volunteer lawyers willing and able to provide the legal assistance Mr. Hinton needed to prove his innocence. On parole for petty theft, the 29-year-old was living with his mom and working as a day laborer. Hinton also had an alibi he was employedata warehouse at the time of the murders, and his boss said on the stand that Hinton was at work at the time of at least one of the murders, 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, Hinton was exonerated in 2015, when he was 59 years old, according to, Thirty years ago, the prosecution seemed deemed to take my life from me, he continued, according to an NPR, Hintonstarted a book club while he was incarcerated, and went on to write a memoir about his experience, called, , Hinton has also found success as a motivational speaker and fierce advocate for prison reform, having been invited to dozens of universities and conferences to share his story since his release, according to the, "Just Mercy" opens in limited release on Christmas Day, and hits theaters everywhere on Jan. 10. Anthony was a man who loved God and followed the example of Jesus Christ. YouTube | 700 Club Interactive "There's five things they're going to convict you to," the officer told him. SUPPORTED BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU. Now a Community Educator with EJI, Ray is doing what he can to bring reform to the justice system. Police arrived at the house near Birmingham, Alabama, and arrested him for. The first three years, I was in a stage of hating, says Ray. Anthony Ray Hinton was released from prison in Birmingham, Ala., on Friday. All the while, Mr. Hinton remained at a prison in south Alabama, awaiting his execution. "[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. For a Google doc version of this lesson, click here. Despite providing a solid alibi, Anthony Ray Hinton was still sentenced to death by the state of Alabama. Instead, They Want to Speed Up Executions. Then in 1998, the Equal Justice Initiative, or EJI, decided to take Rays case. 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. The Lost Books Of The Bible: Should We Accept Or Reject? Ive got to forgive, he said. . Ray still remembers one of their last conversations before Henrys execution in 1997. Alabama Refuses Compensation to Innocent Man Who Spent 30 Years on "Just Mercy" opens in limited release on Christmas Day, and hits theaters everywhere on Jan. 10. 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. Ray was arrested, convicted, imprisoned, and sentenced to death for a crime he didn't commit. AMY GOODMAN: Anthony Ray Hinton was convicted of murdering two fast-food managers in separate robberies in 1985. This has everything to do with the way we treat those who are vulnerable in our criminal justice system.. 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 They had every intention of executing me for something I didn't do. Stunned, confused, and only twenty-nine years . [emailprotected]. 1. But, Hinton was still convicted and sentenced to death. Anthony Ray Hinton Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family He has one message for everyone who will listen: Our system is broken, and its time to put a stop to the death penalty. The prosecutorwho had a documented history of racial bias and said he could tell Mr. Hinton was guilty and evil solely from his appearancetold the court that the States experts asserted match between Mrs. Hintons gun and the bullets from all three crimes was the only evidence linking Mr. Hinton to the Davidson and Vason murders. 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. They just didn't take me from my family and friends. Anthony Ray Hinton Equal Justice Initiative. In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Join Washington Post senior critic-at-large Robin . 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. 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. Two days later, after serving 30 years in prison for a crime he didnt commit, Ray was released. What did Hinton say were the five reasons given by the police officer that guaranteed his conviction? Mar 27, 2019 . Anthony Ray Hinton spent decades in jail for crimes he did not commit. (334) 269-1803 With no credible expert to challenge the States assertion of a match, Mr. Hinton was convicted and sentenced to death. If you think there is no reason for another book about a grave miscarriage of American justice, think again. Prosecutors dropped the case against Anthony Ray Hinton, 58, when new . 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. "If God hadn't intervened and sent me his best lawyer, within two years I would . It took almost a decade for Mr. Hinton and his lawyers to recruit a panel of experts, including a former F.B.I. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY: Copyright 2021 NewsHour Production LLC. [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. "To be accused of murder, itto me, it-it don't get no worse than that," says Anthony. 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. Wrongly jailed for 30 years, Black Alabaman says justice requires voting And number five, youre gonna have an all-white jury.. Hinton, 58, looked up, took in the sunshine and thanked God and his lawyers Friday morning outside the county jail in Birmingham, minutes after taking his first steps as a free man since 1985. 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 sun does shine, he said as he was embraced by family and friends. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! However, the number of members also gradually became smaller when book club members were executed. Anthony Ray Hinton is an American activist, writer, and author who was wrongly convicted of the 1985 murders of two fast food restaurant managers in Birmingham, Alabama. 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. 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. He has received no compensation. How the case against him unraveled", "Alabama death row inmate freed after 30 years", "Book Marks reviews of The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton, co-written with Lara Love Hardin", "The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton with Lara Love Hardin review", "Death row survivor returns to address #Bonas seniors", "Death row survivor Anthony Ray Hinton to keynote Bona's 159th Commencement", "They Couldnt Take My Soul": Anthony Ray Hinton on His Exoneration After 30 Years on Death Row, "How to Survive Death Row: Anthony Ray Hinton served 30 years in prison for murders he didn't commit. Living the Christian life is a journey. 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.
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