[4] Hinton's book received extremely positive reviews. Hinton spent 28 years on death row for two robbery-murders in the Birmingham, Ala., area in the mid-1980s. At the time, Hinton worked at a supermarket warehouse and lived with his mother, Buhlar Hinton, at her home in rural Alabama, about half an hour north of Birmingham. About $2,100 was missing from the safe. It hurts so bad, says Ray. Among the authors whom the prisoners read and discussed were James Baldwin and Harper Lee. I dont have a choice., Alabama Man Freed After Decades on Death Row, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/04/us/anthony-ray-hinton-alabama-prison-freed-murder.html. 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. 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. Mar 30, 2016 Updated Mar 31, 2016. 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. The legislature has resisted approval of this payment, as state authorities say that he did not prove his innocence. After 30 years on death row, Anthony Ray Hinton was exonerated over two years ago. Mr. Hinton hugs EJI lawyer Charlotte Morrison. Being locked up for 30 years made me realize how important the vote was, He added. CBN is a global ministry committed to preparing the nations of the world for the coming of Jesus Christ through mass media. Somehow, he's not enraged", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anthony_Ray_Hinton&oldid=1136681327, Overturned convictions in the United States, 21st-century American non-fiction writers, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking reliable references from June 2022, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from June 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 31 January 2023, at 16:12. As she desperately prays for healing, hear the message she receives from God on todays A woman receives an answer to a prayer she never wanted to pray. That victim survived and then misidentified Hinton as his assailant; then the state completed this travesty by providing completely fake ballistic evidence to tie a gun found in Hintons mothers home to all three murders. He . Despite providing a solid alibi, Anthony Ray Hinton was still sentenced to death by the state of Alabama. Anthony Ray Hinton spoke at Allegheny College on Thursday, Sept. 20. . God made it possible for you to know. However, the number of members also gradually became smaller when book club members were executed. Our tax dollars that paid for the judge and the prosecutor that prosecuted him. [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. It was an overwhelming day, and it should never have taken that long, says Charlotte. [citation needed] Hinton's mother died in 2002. He-he-he's going to be executed, says Lester. Ray had a message, and he taught that message to his neighbor Henry, though they only had one thing in common. 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.. Legislators Wont Compensate Innocent Man for 30 Years on Death Row. And number five, youre gonna have an all-white jury.. 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. Anthony, or Ray, still remembers the arresting officer's chilling words. 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. Ray was arrested, convicted, imprisoned, and sentenced to death for a crime he didn't commit. Download the free myCBN app. 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. In 2014, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned his conviction based on his attorneys deficient representation, and Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Laura Petro ordered a new trial. When he was 29 . If you think there is no reason for another book about a grave miscarriage of American justice, think again. Hinton was freed in 2015 after spending 28 years on death row for two 1985 murders that occurred during separate robberies of fast-food restaurants in Birmingham. But while Im here, everything around me gonna live. In 2014 the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously overturned his conviction on appeal, after which the state dropped all charges against him. 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. The Exoneration Project, American Constitution Society, Federalist Society, and Klau Center welcome Anthony Ray Hinton, an Alabama man who spent 30 years on death row for crimes he did not commit. Mr. Hinton was appointed a lawyer who mistakenly thought he could not get enough money to hire a qualified firearms examiner. For Ray, it was a bittersweet moment. Police arrest Anthony Ray Hintonthe man they believe committed three armed robberies that left two restaurant managers dead, and a third wounded. 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. [2] Hinton was sentenced to death and held on the state's death row for 28 years before his 2015 release. Mr. Hinton, 29 then, was indigent, and the Supreme Court said last year that the lawyer appointed to represent him, Sheldon C. Perhacs, had mistakenly believed he had only $1,000 to hire an expert witness for the proceedings. Death Row Exonoree Wednesday, April 12, 2023 8pm. 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. Jacobs was afraid to publish or write her tale, but Douglass was not, and her story was published in many variations. On July 31, 1985, the police arrested Anthony Ray Hinton for murder. In 2015, Hintons 30 years of unbroken prayers were answered and the nations highest court ruled unanimously in his favor. Gonna have a white D.A. Davidson was still alive when an exterminator came to the restaurant and found him in the restaurant cooler . Hinton wasnt eligible to vote in the 2016 presidential election. In 1985 Anthony Ray Hinton was charged with the murders of two restaurant managers in Birmingham, Alabama. "[17], On May 19, 2019, Hinton spoke at St. Bonaventure University's commencement exercises and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Human Letters degree. Hinton knew it was a case of mistaken identity and naively believed that the truth would prove his innocence and set him free. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. If you have an immediate prayer need, please call our 24-hour prayer line at 800-700-7000. We hired three of the nations best firearms experts, says Charlotte. Plus, two long lost cousins Hooked on drugs before he was a teen, a meth addict has only one goal in life. . Click here for more stories in the series and watch for more NewsHour EXTRA lesson content based on Searching for Justice stories. Why was it important for a white ballistics expert to be hired? He said, Number three, youre gonna have a white prosecutor. A woman suspects a stroke as her eyes twitch and she experiences slurred speech. Anthony Ray Hinton spent decades in jail for crimes he did not commit. 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.. Mr. Hinton walked out of the Jefferson County Jail a free man. [emailprotected]. When Hinton was done eating, about half past six, he drove to the polling location where he would cast his first vote in a presidential election since he was released from Alabamas death row. The lecture began with Hinton recounting the day of his arrest in extreme detail. Though a 29-year-old Anthony Hinton was working at a locked warehouse 15 miles away at the time of the second crime, and although there were no eyewitness accounts of the first incident, he was arrested one evening while cutting the grass outside of his mother's house . 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. Number four, youre gonna have a white judge. According to Hinton, the officer who carried out his arrest said that he "didn't care whether I did it or not," guaranteeing he would be convicted. 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. Now a Community Educator with EJI, Ray is doing what he can to bring reform to the justice system. To be accused of murder, itto me, it-it dont get no worse than that, says Anthony. Under the Fair Justice Act, I'd be dead. Watch a trailer here. Now He Has a Message for White America", "Anthony Ray Hinton, Alabama Man Who Spent 30 Years on Death Row, Has Case Dismissed", "Alabama man off death row after 28 years to jailers: You will answer to God", "I went to death row for 28 years through no fault of my own", "Alabama inmate free after three decades on death row. 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. Streamed live on Jun 15, 2022 29 Dislike Share Save Washington Post Live 54.1K subscribers Anthony Ray Hinton was sentenced to death and held in solitary confinement for 28 years on Alabama's. This is the state of Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat and we changed things through legislation and the vote. We conclude that they did not and hold that Hinton's trial attorney rendered constitutionally deficient performance. 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 refusal of state prosecutors to re-examine this case despite persuasive and reliable evidence of innocence is disappointing and troubling.. 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. 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. Anthony Hinton. Im going to bring the best out of everybody that come in touch with me, says Ray. [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. (S. Pelley, Life After Death Row, 60 Minutes, January 10, 2016.) [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]. Discuss as an entire class. [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. 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. Anthony Hinton (left) with attorney Bryan Stevenson following a hearing at which EJI argued all charges against Mr. Hinton must be dismissed immediately. YouTube | 700 Club Interactive "There's five things they're going to convict you to," the officer told him. Prosecutors admitted that they could not match four bullets found at the crime scene with Hinton's mother's gun, and that this was the only evidence offered in the original murder trial. An all-white jury would find Ray guilty of two counts of capital murder and sentence him to death by electric chair. Mr. Hinton will speak at Notre Dame Law School about his wrongful conviction in 1985, his years on Alabama's death row, and the experience of freedom. I couldnt vote at one time in the state of Alabama, you couldnt marry outside of your race, you had to go to the back to get something to eat. Mr. Hintons words were among the starkest reminders that, despite the joyous atmosphere surrounding his release, the case against him had spurred another reckoning for Alabama and a legal system that critics said appeared troubled by obstinacy and arrogance. Join Washington Post senior critic-at-large Robin . 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. But then, soon, he realized he became the person his mother didnt raise him to be. In 1985 Hinton was charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of two fast-food restaurant managers in Birmingham, Ala., with the charges hinging on a revolver that had belonged to his. 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. YOU HAVE 20,000 FOLLOWERS: $100 per post at a $5/CPM. You dont know freedom until its taken from you, Hinton told The Washington Post on Tuesday night. 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. He spent 30 years in prison until, with the help of. Bryan Stevenson, one of Mr. Hintons lawyers and the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, said Mr. Hintons right to justice had been limited as an impoverished black man. Read this article and answer the following questions. At Holman Correctional Facility, Rays cell was a mere 30 feet from the execution chair they called Yellow Mama. Founded by a lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, it had a track record of overturning unjust convictions and in winning a. Despite the new evidence, the courts still refused to reopen Rays case. Share your prayer requests, receive prayer and pray for others! Hinton was sentenced to death and held on the state's death row for 28 years, and was later released in 2015. Do You Know These 14 Hebrew Names of God? 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. 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. This morning, he arrived at the polls and exercised his right to vote. If you didnt do it, one of your brothers did. Winner of the 2019 Moore Prize Finalist, Dayton Peace Prize, 2019 "An amazing and heartwarming story, it restores our faith in the inherent goodness of humanity." - Archbishop Desmond Tutu A powerful, revealing story of hope, love, and justice. 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. Hinton was a special guest and speaker at 442 Orange St. on Tuesday evening for an event honoring the innocent on death row hosted by Jewish society Shabtai. But on July 31, 1985, 29-year-old Ray's life changes drastically when the police arrest him for a series of murders that Ray didn't commit. "To be accused of murder, itto me, it-it don't get no worse than that," says Anthony. Their forensics experts were unable to match crime-scene bullets to Hinton's mother's gun. 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. Get more than a Sunday sermon. To me this was a day of freedom dedicated to them, and all of the people who have been lynched, oppressed, or intimidated or disenfranchised from voting., From a symbolic perspective, it is deeply meaningful that Mr. Hinton voted today in Alabama, said Blair Bowie, legal counsel for the Campaign Legal Center, which focuses on voting rights restoration. -- Anthony Ray Hinton spent more than half his life on death row in southern Alabama. Now, at 58, after spending decades behind bars, Hinton is free. (You will need to make a copy of the document to edit it.). Sen. Paul Bussman, R-Cullman, has proposed legislation to grant Anthony Ray Hinton $1.5 million over three years. I finally looked at you as a human being.. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. (334) 269-1803 The 29-year-old found himself helpless and questioned God what he did so wrong for it to happen to him. [emailprotected]. Anthony Ray Hinton. Convicted, he was sentenced to death and held in solitary confinement on Alabamas death row for 28 years, before being exonerated. 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. A total of 54 men walked past Hinton's cell on their way to execution. . Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. 2. I was released from death row. Among their efforts for criminal justice reform, the non-profit provides legal aid to those whove been imprisoned unjustly. The only evidence that the state ever had claimed, connected Mr. Hinton, did not exist.. Anthony Ray Hinton was convicted and sentenced to the most extreme penalty for a crime he did not do because of the color of his skin. This article was published more than2 years ago. This has everything to do with the way we treat those who are vulnerable in our criminal justice system.. How was the case finally overturned? This lesson is part of NewsHours Searching for Justice series on criminal justice reform. Number two, a white man gonna say you shot him. It took almost a decade for Mr. Hinton and his lawyers to recruit a panel of experts, including a former F.B.I. First, have students answer the following questions, either in class discussion or as written answers. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Number two, a white is gonna say you shot him whether you shot him or not.. three, youre going to have a white prosecutor. In "True Justice" one of Mr. Stevenson's clients Anthony Ray Hinton discusses his arrest. Please check your information and try again or call us at 1-800-759-0700. 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.. 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. But as a poor black man in the South, Hinton was sentenced to death by electrocution. Hinton was granted a new trial, and the charges were dismissed after prosecutors said that the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences determined that the bullets that killed the restaurant managers could not have been used with Hintons mothers gun. Your natural reaction was it-it's over. 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. 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.. 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.