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. But then the numbers shrank again as each of the members was executed until only Hinton remained of the original group. The first few years of prison were tough. 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. Addressing a packed room on April 1 that included many lawyers-in . Faced with Hinton's claims of innocence, the Jefferson County district attorney's office this month moved to drop the case after their forensics experts agreed that the crime-scene bullets couldn't be matched to the gun. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. Anthony Ray Hinton was exonerated from death row in April 2015. 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. It just shows you what God can do if you put your faith and trust in Him.. He said to Hinton, "All of y'all blacks always say you didnt do something. I sat on my bunk and told my mind, This is where were going to be for a while. That prosecutor said he could. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. I apologize to you.. Disclamer: the number about Anthony Ray Hinton's Instagram salary income and Anthony Ray Hinton's Instagram net worth are just estimation based on publicly available information about Instagram's monetization programs, it is by . An update on major political events, candidates, and parties twice a week. Were about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, You are bigger and more capable than you realize. The Supreme Court unanimously overturned Hintons conviction in 2015. He woke up at 5 a.m., showered, brewed himself some coffee and, not knowing how long he would have. Eventually, with all avenues for justice within the Alabama system shut off, the path was open for Stevenson to take Hintons case to the US Supreme Court. Alabama Man Freed After Decades on Death Row - New York Times "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. Experts have proven that a shell casing used during the trial to link Musgrove to the Sept. 27, 1986, slaying of Coy Eugene Barron had nothing to do with the crime, the defense claims, and police pressured Barron's wife to identify Musgrove as the shooter even though she first told police she saw nothing. As he looks out at the grass and the trees, he wonders if he will ever go out into the countryside again. Death row is another world, a world that is tormented, he says. Hinton was wrongly convicted for killing two people at two fast food Birmingham restaurants in 1985. Free at last: Anthony Ray Hinton is greeted by family outside the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham, Alabama. I had nothing but I would prefer to be naked and free than on death row for a crime I didnt commit.. We But Hinton knew that comment, just like his conviction, was a lie. [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. What I learned about forgiveness is that its not about the other person. The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton reveals his three decades in prison; . [5], In November 2014, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals closed Hinton's case. 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. Among several grievous mistakes he made was to hire a visually impaired civil engineer with no professional experience of ballistics to test the bullets because he came cheap. 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. 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. 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. When he passed, McGregor blocked it from being used in court. When Hinton leaves the house these days he leaves a trail so he can prove where hes been. The state of Alabama had every intention of killing me for a crime I didnt commit: Anthony Ray Hinton enjoying his freedom. 'I went to death row for 28 years through no fault of my own' [citation needed] Hinton's mother died in 2002. Instant downloads of all 1725 LitChart PDFs With no credible expert to challenge the States assertion of a match, Mr. Hinton was convicted and sentenced to death. Behind the news are values that drive people and nations. I need this expert to be from the South. Stevenson had new ballistics tests done by three experts that Alabamas judicial system could not discredit, including the former chief of firearms testing at the FBI. 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. Donnis George Musgrove has been on death row for 27 years but says he is innocent. Anthony Ray Hinton - Equal Justice Initiative Covering events and issues from every neighborhood in Birmingham, we take you inside the biggest happenings in your community. I dont have a choice but to forgive, because I want to be free, he says. 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. She didnt ask to be born, to hold that position it was forced on her. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Weeks turned into months, then years. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. A survivor at a third restaurant robbery picked Hinton out of a photo lineup, turning investigators' attention toward him. "Where is my justice?". The challenge comes too late for help Musgrove's co-defendant Rogers, who died in prison. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. PDF downloads of all 1725 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Charlotte Morrison, presentation speaker and senior attorney at EJI, described the racial injustice present in Hintons case. [3] A survivor of a third restaurant robbery picked a photo of Anthony Ray Hinton, then age 29, from a lineup, and the police investigated him. He could smell burning flesh every time someone was electrocuted. Popular As. This thought continuously replayed for Anthony Ray Hinton while he sat on death row for nearly 30 years. He stands in the sight of video cameras and collects receipts from convenience stores. Anthony Ray Hinton was born on June 1, 1965. 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. For 16 years, the state of Alabama refused to retest the bullets because they didnt have to. Anthony Ray Hinton did not sleep very well the night before Tuesday's presidential election. Get the most interesting and important stories from the University of Pittsburgh. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. I knew then it was about race. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. But the state court of Alabama refused to overturn his convictions or grant a new trial. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 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. 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. He said, Everybody that played a part in sending me to death row, you will answer to God.[5][13] Hinton filed a claim for nearly $1.5 million in compensation for his time in jail due to the wrongful conviction. They looked happy, excited. Anthony Hinton was arrested after the manager identified him from a photo lineup, even though he was working in a locked warehouse fifteen miles away at the time of the crime. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. A deeper view that unites instead of divides, connecting why the story matters to you. Monitor journalism changes lives because we open that too-small box that most people think they live in. 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. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Conservative pushback on the rise. Mr. Hinton spent 30 years on death row for a crime he did not commit. And sometimes his stomach knots with dread as he remembers the stench of burning flesh when a fellow prisoner got fried in the electric chair. He was cheated by his father who taught him to hate. But what I never lost sight of was I was sentenced to death. In his time on death row, 54 men passed Hintons cell on their way to execution. Instant PDF downloads. First approached by two white male detectives, Anthony was asked to place his hands behind . Youll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com. My favourite getaway was visiting Queen Elizabeth. My mom told me, no matter what one does in life, he or she deserves some compassion and I knew Hays deserved compassion more than anybody.. [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. Hinton, he wrote, "just radiated guilt and pure evil" words that seem ironic now that Hinton is free based on a claim of innocence. What happened to Mr. Hinton is not a mistake, Morrison said. Our work isn't possible without your support. and "Y'all blacks always sticking up for each other."[who?] From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Alabama man released after decades on death row: Sign of a flawed system? I feel like Im a better leader after reading your book. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." [9], Hinton was sent to death row, where he was held in solitary confinement for nearly three decades. I wanted them to have the knowledge I had growing up, he says. Botched ballistics evidence and a questionable eyewitness identification may help him get a new trial. Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound: No Holiday for Justice: McGregor, Bob 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. Hinton has met President Obama and Queen Elizabeth. subscription. Hinton said Acker told him to sign a blank sheet of paper, assuring him it was just to confirm he had been read his rights. He said, Number one, we going to convict you because youre black. The way I looked at it, I went to death row for 28 years through no fault of my own and at no fault of her own she was born who she is. But off Nina went, her stunned dad left behind. A defense analysis during appeal showed that bullets did not match the gun, but the state wouldn't re-open the case. 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. "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. Its the symptom of a justice system that is riddled by racial bias and strangled by hopelessness. In the case Anthony Ray Hinton v. Alabama, the Court ruled on February 24 that Hinton did not receive effective counsel during his capital trial, declaring the lawyer's performance deficient in violation of the Sixth Amendment. All testified that this was McGregors modus operandi, said Morrison. The Monitor is a peculiar little publication thats hard for the world to figure out. 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. Nelson Mandela's Grandson to speak at Stetson on Tuesday, March 26, at 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. 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. Hays was a member of the book club. Since Hintons release, he said the state of Alabama has not apologized. Alabama death row inmate: Another innocent man? A weekly update on music, movies, cultural trends, and education solutions. During Hinton's time on Death Row, 54 men and one woman were put to death in a chamber that was 33 feet away from his cell. In one of them another manager was killed. Four, youre going to have a white judge and number five, youre going to have an all-white jury., What he didnt say at any point was, The evidence is whats going to convict you, or, We have fingerprints, or, We have an eyewitness., I couldnt eat, I couldnt drink. logged you out. Anthony Ray, then a 29-year-old warehouseman, was mowing his mums lawn when his life was torn apart in July 1985. Hinton, closing his portion of the presentation, answered a common question asked of him. The first step on the path to salvation for Hinton came after a decade inside. Supreme Court backs Bryan Stevenson's 15-year effort to reexamine death 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. I thought about all the things I had lost. (334) 269-1803 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. The police took it for testing. contact customer service The Sun Does Shine Chapter 8 Summary & Analysis | LitCharts 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. Hear about special editorial projects, new product information, and upcoming events. 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. Stevenson is also a professor of clinical law at New York University, Brown said. Hinton was convicted of two 1985 murders, and sentenced to die. Hinton's attorney say a poor defense is what landed him here. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. About $2,100 was missing from the safe. Former federal and state prosecutor Bob McGregor dies - al.com In my mind, I never did see myself going (to the death chamber), he said. Would she like to see the Oval Office? 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.