The arresting officer told him chilling words he would never forget when authorities arrested him. Hinton was freed on the morning Friday, April 3, 2015, the 152nd death row inmate exonerated since 1983, according to the Equal Justice Initiative. Mr. Perhacss choice a man later described by a prosecutor as a one-eyed charlatan did little to help the defense, and Mr. Hinton was convicted and sentenced to death. Former death row prisoner Anthony Ray Hinton shares his path to freedom When Hinton told the arresting detective that he had the wrong man, the detective told him that he didn't care whether he did it or not. Anthony Ray Hinton speaks to students on November 13, 2018, in the . 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. 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 crime he did not commit, but also passed legislation changing the appeals process in death penalty cases so that innocent people like Mr . 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. [emailprotected]. Experiencing freedom after 30 years on death row | News | The Law Error: There was an internal error submitting your form. "[16] Kirkus Reviews calls the book, "a heart-wrenching yet ultimately hopeful story about truth, justice, and the need for criminal justice reform. Anthony Ray Hinton - Pittsburgh Speakers Series [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. The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row - Goodreads Number two, a white man gonna say you shot him. 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. So I believe in the promise of hope alive, he said. In two or three sentences, compare the two Harriets. Identify - BRAINLY 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. Hinton was convicted of murdering two fast food restaurant managers and sentenced to death at the age of 29. Mar 30, 2016 Updated Mar 31, 2016. In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital . Anthony Ray Hinton spent decades in jail for crimes he did not commit. I lived in hell for 30 years, so I dont want to die and go to hell. Still, even though Stevenson had new ballistics tests performed on Hintons behalf, the Alabama courts denied the appeal, after taking two years to deliberate. 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.. 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. Death Row Exonoree Wednesday, April 12, 2023 8pm. 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?. I have no respect for the prosecutors, the judges. Anthony Ray Hinton attends "True Justice: Bryan Stevenson's Fight For Equality" New York Screening at SVA Theater on June 24, 2019. Among their efforts for criminal justice reform, the non-profit provides legal aid to those whove been imprisoned unjustly. Anthony Hinton. They gonna say you shot him. 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. 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. In "True Justice" one of Mr. Stevenson's clients Anthony Ray Hinton What challenges do you think theyd face once home after a long prison stay? Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Hinton told 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley about a conversation he had with a police lieutenant after having been arrested: I said, You got the wrong guy. And he said, I dont care whether you did it or dont. He said, But you gonna be convicted for it. Biden enlists potential rivals as advisers ahead of 2024, Their toddler took a nap in an Airbnb and fentanyl killed her. Gonna have a white D.A. SUPPORTED BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU. This is the state of Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat and we changed things through legislation and the vote. Number two, a white man is gonna say you shot him, whether you shot him or not, believe, me I dont care, says Ray. 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. Anthony Ray Hinton: 'I spent 30 years on death row for a crime I didn't St. Bonaventure University in New York awarded Hinton an honorary doctorate degree in May. Love your enemy. The only way that we will ever conquer hate is love.. 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 Hinton wasnt eligible to vote in the 2016 presidential election. There were no eyewitnesses or fingerprint evidence; police had no suspects and pressure to solve the murders grew as similar crimes continued. Anthony Ray Hinton. When Hinton convinces the prison warden about halfway through his three decades of imprisonment to allow him to receive books besides the Bible so that he can form a book club, the reader shares the exhilaration of Hinton and half a dozen of his fellow prisoners as they are finally able to travel outside the walls of the prison, through the words of James Baldwin and Harper Lee. Your natural reaction was it-it's over. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. 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. [4], Hinton's initial appeals continued to be handled by his public defender, Sheldon C. Perhacs, who lost each of Hintons cases. Ray still remembers one of their last conversations before Henrys execution in 1997. However, the number of members also gradually became smaller when book club members were executed. Police arrest Anthony Ray Hintonthe man they believe committed three armed robberies that left two restaurant managers dead, and a third wounded. They didn't care. 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. [4], After Hinton's arrest, his public defense attorney did not provide adequate counsel. Ray was arrested, convicted, imprisoned, and sentenced to death for a crime he didn't commit. Read this article and answer the following questions. His peaceful morning was quickly interrupted when police officers - with a warrant for Hinton's arrest - taunted, handcuffed and arrested the teenage Hinton. Founded by a lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, it had a track record of overturning unjust convictions and in winning a. Hinton mug shot. To be accused of murder, itto me, it-it dont get no worse than that, says Anthony. But, Hinton was still convicted and sentenced to death. Among the authors whom the prisoners read and discussed were James Baldwin and Harper Lee. This morning, he arrived at the polls and exercised his right to vote. Anyone can read what you share. Despite his innocence, Anthony Ray Hinton lingered on death row for nearly 30 years for crimes he did not commit. Mr. Stevenson said it was unclear whether Mr. Hinton would ever receive any compensation from the state. In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. 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. Im Christel Berns. Published: Apr. Our tax dollars that paid for the judge and the prosecutor that prosecuted him. This lesson uses a video segment from PBS NewsHours Searching for Justice series. I dont think the society nor the men that did this to me realized what they took from me, says Ray. 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. In 1985, two Birmingham area fast-food restaurants were robbed and the managers, John Davidson and Thomas Wayne Vason, were fatally shot. Tennessee Lawmakers Lynching Comment Sparks Outrage, Compared to Neighboring Tennessee, Alabamas Execution Review Falls Short, Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Man Sentenced to Death in Arizona, Alabama Man Allegedly Held in Jail Freezer Dies of Hypothermia, 122 Commerce Street Montgomery, AL 36104 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. Stunned, confused, and only 29 years old, Hinton knew that it was a case of mistaken identity . An all-white jury sentenced him guilty of two counts of capital murder and to death by electric chair.. Subjects: U.S. History, U.S. Government & Civics, Criminal Justice, Legal Studies, Estimated time: One or two 50-minute class periods. Discover steps to bring you closer to Christ. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. He left Notre Dame Law students with a challenge to serve justice. Get a daily devotional and encouraging 2-3minute video direct to your inbox. In 2015, Hintons 30 years of unbroken prayers were answered and the nations highest court ruled unanimously in his favor. Prosecutors dropped the case against Anthony Ray Hinton, 58, when new . When Ray was arrested for crimes he didn't commit, he remembers telling the police officers that he didn't do it. Instead, They Want to Speed Up Executions. Cases like Anthony Ray Hintons give the public pause about the death penalty, said Robert Dunham, the centers executive director. He went on tospend 28 years on death row 30 yearsin all, without his freedom. Hi. This article was published more than2 years ago. He told a gathering of family and supporters that "the sun does shine." Hinton, 59, wiped . [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. Despite the new evidence, the courts still refused to reopen Rays case. 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 mother. In 2018, Alabama residents who were previously convicted of felonies were able to register to vote under the Moral Turpitude Act of 2017. Anthony Hinton, 29 years old with no history of violent crime, steadfastly maintained his innocence. The only evidence that the state ever had claimed, connected Mr. Hinton, did not exist.. Then in 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Rays case. Nightline profiles Mr. Hintons release and his first days of freedom. It hurts so bad, says Ray. 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. 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. [4] Hinton's book received extremely positive reviews. Hinton speaks about racism's role in conviction | Local News The first three years, I was in a stage of hating, says Ray. 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. Students will examine the challenges faced by individuals wrongfully convicted of felonies. It only takes the first two pages of the introduction by the authors equally remarkable lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, to make the reader appalled. WATCH LIVE: Former death row prisoner Anthony Ray Hinton - YouTube But it would be a single piece of evidence that held the key to proving Rays innocence. 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.. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Nearly 30 years after the Alabama authorities relied on analyses of a handgun and bullets to send him to death row, Anthony Ray Hinton was freed on Friday after experts undermined the states case. Perhacs hired a civil engineer who had impaired vision and didnt have any forensic experience. [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. Discover God's peace now. He has received no compensation. Despite pleas by Mr. Hintons lawyers, who cited conclusions by newly enlisted specialists, the state refused for years to reconsider the evidence. Copyright 2022 GOD TV, Simco Media LLC. Anthony Ray Hinton, an inmate on Alabama's death row, asks us to decide whether the Alabama courts correctly applied Strickland to his case. What did Hinton say were the five reasons given by the police officer that guaranteed his conviction? Do You Know These 14 Hebrew Names of God? [5], While on death row, Hinton spent much of his time reading. Feb 24, 2017 Updated Feb 24, 2017. Moving forward, he chose to pray for those men who set him up instead. Ive always felt that I have the Supreme Lawyer, says Ray. That paid for the experts who got it wrong. He talked about his wrongful conviction, his decades in prison, and the lingering effects he has experienced after leaving prison. Police seized an old revolver belonging to Mr. Hintons mother, and state firearm examiners said that was the gun used in all three crimes. 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. Smyth maintains a comprehensive website and blog on all things comics in education at TeachingWithComics.com. Only by the grace of God, says Ray. [12] On April 1, 2015 the Jefferson County district attorneys office moved to drop the case. 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. Alabama Refuses Compensation to Innocent Man Who Spent 30 Years on 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. 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. 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. Anthony Hinton (left) with attorney Bryan Stevenson following a hearing at which EJI argued all charges against Mr. Hinton must be dismissed immediately.