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. After every level of the Alabama court system had rejected Hintons appeals multiple times, his lawyer decided to take his case directly to the US supreme court. Jesus didnt say, Hey, when an enemy come across you, I want you to hate him, says Ray. Hinton hopes that will change, and his vote on Tuesday gave him hope that it will change soon. He organized a book club that was allowed to meet in the prison's law library. When life is unjust, turn your pain into purpose. Read this article and answer the following questions. Anthony Ray, then a 29-year-old warehouseman, was mowing his mum's lawn when his life was torn apart in July 1985. In 1985, Hinton was arrested and charged with two capital murders based solely on the assertion that a dusty revolver taken from his mother's home was the gun used in both murders and in a third uncharged crime. First, have students answer the following questions, either in class discussion or as written answers. 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. [3], In February 2014, the Supreme Court of the United States vacated the state court conviction in a unanimous per curiam decision. With no credible expert to challenge the States assertion of a match, Mr. Hinton was convicted and sentenced to death. 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. Ala. Ray still remembers one of their last conversations before Henrys execution in 1997. A jury found him guilty, a judge sentenced him to death. I say it because they took 30 years from me.. Having spent 30 years on Alabama's death row as an innocent man, the now-freed 64-year-old knows about confinement. by Anthony Ray Hinton with Lara Love Hardin The Sun Does Shine is a powerful examination of both our flawed justice system and of one man's personal resilience and faith. 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. [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. Stunned, confused, and only 29 years old, Hinton knew that it was a case of mistaken identity . 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 . Discover the book that broke his thirty-year habit on todays 700 Club. 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. Here's his story. A Christian man was falsely convicted of murder for 30 years, but he spent his time sharing Jesus inside the cells. 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 Macmillan Speakers Bureau. Hinton declined to sign it. Hintons public defender was roundly criticized for his work hetried to appeal his case and routinely failed, according to The Guardian. On Friday, Mr. Hinton was presented with some of the modern conveniences that emerged during his decades in prison, including an iPhone. 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.. "[unreliable source?] Alabamas Jim Crow-era constitution openly intended felony disenfranchisement and the biased criminal legal system that ensnared Mr. Hinton to work hand in hand to squash Black political power, she added. [4], Doug Acker, a detective, attempted to persuade Hinton to sign a blank sheet of paper telling him [Hinton] that it was just to confirm that he had already read his rights. [3], On April 3, 2015, Hinton was released from prison after Laura Petro, a Jefferson County Circuit Court judge, overturned his conviction and the state dropped all charges against him.[2][6]. Anthony Ray Hinton, age 61, now lives as a free man in the state of Alabama, where he was born and raised. 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. The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life, Freedom, and Justice, Rekindling the Power of God Within to Effect Change. 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. The Supreme Court is considering a challenge to laws that protect websites from lawsuits, Lesson includes resources to help you talk with your students about traumatic events, Read Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech and explore themes such as the social conditions in the U.S. that led to the Civil Rights Movement. 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. Hinton was convicted of each of the two murders and sentenced to death. I mean ONLY.. Im going to bring the best out of everybody that come in touch with me, says Ray. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! 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. Hinton began his talk by explaining the context of his arrest, where he was charged with first-degree robbery, kidnapping and attempted murder. Hi. This lesson is part of NewsHours Searching for Justice series on criminal justice reform. 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. [18] He had previously spoken to the students of the Class of 2019, six months after his release, in 2015. 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]. Our tax dollars that paid for the judge and the prosecutor that prosecuted him. Police seized an old revolver belonging to Mr. Hinton's mother, and state firearm examiners said that was the gun used in all three crimes. 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. YOU HAVE 20,000 FOLLOWERS: $100 per post at a $5/CPM. Your natural reaction was it-it's over. It only takes the first two pages of the introduction by the authors equally remarkable lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, to make the reader appalled. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. Understanding The Holy Of Holies Inside The Temple. He must do exactly what he said he would do. Anthony Ray Hinton was released from prison in Birmingham, Ala., on Friday. EJI attorneys engaged three of the nation's top firearms . Yes, Im going to write and spread His love because I love Him and His people, and my heart is to live for Him. Officers had retrieved . According to what we discussed this year the But then, soon, he realized he became the person his mother didnt raise him to be. with his arrest in one shooting that occurred while witnesses said he was at work miles away. Men indicted on separate officer assault charges. Mr. Hinton hugs EJI lawyer Charlotte Morrison. Hes also written a book about his journey of forgiveness and redemption, hoping his story will inspire change and healing. [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. 5. 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. 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. Anthony Hinton (left) with attorney Bryan Stevenson following a hearing at which EJI argued all charges against Mr. Hinton must be dismissed immediately. Police seized an old revolver belonging to Mr. Hintons mother, and state firearm examiners said that was the gun used in all three crimes. We gonna have a white judge. 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. 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. And to show him what real love felt like and real love had no color. 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. You want to know why?, Number one, youre black. At Holman Correctional Facility, Rays cell was a mere 30 feet from the execution chair they called Yellow Mama. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and wrongfully charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. 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 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. Hinton spent 30 years on Alabama's death row for crimes he didn't commit. 3. Anthony Ray Hinton. The evidence against Hinton was scant: There were no fingerprints at the scenes and no witnesses who placed him there, according to the outlet. Anthony Hinton. Now, at 58, after spending decades behind bars, Hinton is free. 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. He was wrongfully convicted of two murders and served nearly three decades in jail before being released in 2015. Jacobs was afraid to publish or write her tale, but Douglass was not, and her story was published in many variations. Two days later, after serving 30 years in prison for a crime he didnt commit, Ray was released. This has nothing to do with luck. AMY GOODMAN: Anthony Ray Hinton was convicted of murdering two fast-food managers in separate robberies in 1985. Ive got to forgive, he said. 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. [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. Then he found hope in sharing Christ during his nearly 30 years on death row. God made it possible for you to know. 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. Ray had a message, and he taught that message to his neighbor Henry, though they only had one thing in common. . During his decades in prison, he was supported by his mother's faith in his innocence, as well as that of a longtime friend, Lester Bailey, who visited him monthly. Since Anthony Ray Hinton was exonerated and released from death row over two years ago, Alabama lawmakers have not only refused to compensate him for the three decades he spent on death row for a crimehe did not commit, but also passed legislation changing the appeals process in death penalty cases so that innocent people like Mr. Hinton now face aneven greater risk of being executed. 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 Brian Stevenson as he fights for the wrongly imprisoned including Hinton. 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. Hinton wasnt eligible to vote in the 2016 presidential election. Please check your information and try again or call us at 1-800-759-0700. Having spent 30 years on. What are your thoughts about the death penalty after reading this article? The police turned up one day while Hinton, then 29, was mowing his mother's lawn; they. In 2015, Hintons 30 years of unbroken prayers were answered and the nations highest court ruled unanimously in his favor. 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. Using television and the Internet, CBN is proclaiming the Good News in 149 countries and territories, with programs and content in 67 languages. On July 25, 1985, a restaurant in Bessemer was robbed and the manager was shot but not seriously wounded. He was convicted of two murders in 1985. "To be accused of murder, itto me, it-it don't get no worse than that," says Anthony. Four, youre gonna have a white judge. Legislators Wont Compensate Innocent Man for 30 Years on Death Row. 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. In Alabama, he writes, judges are elected based on how many people they send to death row, not on how many people they let off., Hintons lawyer provides this ghastly statistic: With 34 executions and seven exonerations in Alabama since 1975, one innocent person has been identified on Alabamas death row for every five executions.. YouTube | 700 Club Interactive "There's five things they're going to convict you to," the officer told him. He has become an inspirational speaker, traveling the country and the world. And I have changed my views on so many things. 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. He was convicted because hes poor, Mr. Stevenson said. 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. Mr. Hintons application was approved by the committee, and this session,State Senator Paul Bussman sponsored a bill to appropriate the funds to compensateMr. Hinton. Former death row inmate Anthony Ray Hinton, who was exonerated in 2015 after spending nearly 30 years behind bars in Alabama, says he has forgiven the state for its decades-long injustice. I witnessed other inmates time run out, he said, and Id be lying if I said you dont ask yourself, Wow, is that going to happen to me?. and "Y'all blacks always sticking up for each other."[who?] Do You Know These 14 Hebrew Names of God? He has also guest lectured at multiple universities and travels the country giving professional development on comics as engaging literature. 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. No one. But rather than pass reforms to prevent another innocent person from being wrongfully convicted and condemned to death, Mr. Hinton cautioned, Alabama is moving in the opposite direction. And Henry said, Well, you know, Ray, Ive been reading the Bible. And number five, youre gonna have an all-white jury.. [4], After Hinton's arrest, his public defense attorney did not provide adequate counsel. Have students pair/share with a partner. 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.
O Melveny Recruiting Coordinator, Articles A