Because he was convicted of something, he didnt even do. Four, youre gonna have a white judge. This article was published more than2 years ago. Anthony Ray Hinton spent decades in jail for crimes he did not commit. 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. In 1985 Anthony Ray Hinton was charged with the murders of two restaurant managers in Birmingham, Alabama. [8] In June 1989, that judgment was affirmed by the unanimous Supreme Court of Alabama. Gonna have a white D.A. Why me? Ray Hinton's story is astounding on so many levels. This was contested by another expert,a civil engineer with visual impairments hired by Hintons public defender. Police arrived at the house near Birmingham, Alabama, and arrested him for. Woman In Wheelchair Miraculously Takes Off Running During A Revival Service In Megachurch Pastor Who Left Ministry For A Time Returns Refreshed, Renewed, The Whosoevers Ryan Ries Kill The Noise, Finland Is Ending Homelessness With This Ingenious Idea, Why Friendships Are Vital to a Healthy Spiritual Life, Another Campus Revival Breaks Out At Cedarville University. Despite providing a solid alibi, Anthony Ray Hinton was still sentenced to death by the state of Alabama. Hinton speaks about racism's role in conviction. 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. [4] Hinton's book received extremely positive reviews. Get a daily devotional and encouraging 2-3minute video direct to your inbox. 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. And I have changed my views on so many things. In the interview, Hinton described how issues of race permeated his case. Bryan Stevenson told media this is a textbook example of injustice.. Death Row Exonoree Wednesday, April 12, 2023 8pm. Nominee for Best Memoir & Autobiography (2018) A powerful, revealing story of hope, love, justice, and the power of reading by a man who spent thirty years on death row for a crime he didn't commit. Anyone can read what you share. 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. Mr. Hinton, 58, argued for decades that Alabama officials including the judge who oversaw his trial and is now retired had made a series of compounding mistakes after three shootings in 1985 that left two men dead and another wounded. On July 31, 1985, the police arrested Anthony Ray Hinton for murder. His peaceful morning was quickly interrupted when police officers - with a warrant for Hinton's arrest - taunted, handcuffed and arrested the teenage Hinton. Mr. Stevenson said it was unclear whether Mr. Hinton would ever receive any compensation from the state. Anthony Ray Hinton (born June 1, 1956) is an American man who was wrongly convicted of the 1985 murders of two fast food restaurant managers in Birmingham, Alabama, sentenced to death, and held on the state's death row for 28 years. The books are still passed around from cell to cell, but the meetings in the prison library are over. Hinton knew it was a case of mistaken identity and naively believed that the truth would prove his innocence and set him free. 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. In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. 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. Mar 27, 2019 . This morning, he arrived at the polls and exercised his right to vote. 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. 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. YouTube | 700 Club Interactive "There's five things they're going to convict you to," the officer told him. Anthony Ray Hinton leaves the Jefferson County jail in Birmingham, Alabama in April 2015, after nearly 30 years on death row. The evidence against Hinton was scant: There were no fingerprints at the scenes and no witnesses who placed him there, according to the outlet. It was 1986. Soon after, prosecutors pushed for conviction upon him, and his appeal for innocence was defeated. The court was unable to affirm the forensic evidence of a gun, which was the only evidence in the first trial. March 22, 20185:57 AM. 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. 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. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! On Tuesday, he cast a vote for president. Legislators Wont Compensate Innocent Man for 30 Years on Death Row. Stunned, confused, and only twenty-nine years . "Real Love had no Color" - Falsely Convicted Black Man Encounters Jesus on Death Row, Falsely Convicted Of Murder, Man Spends 30 Years In Prison Sharing Jesus, Bob Marley Turned To Christ Before His Death Professing, Jesus Take Me, Jewish Woman Hears Gods Voice While Being Revived, Youre Not Dying Here. 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. Hinton hopes that will change, and his vote on Tuesday gave him hope that it will change soon. Discover steps to bring you closer to Christ. Being locked up for 30 years made me realize how important the vote was, He added. The lecture began with Hinton recounting the day of his arrest in extreme detail. 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. The reality is much worse as doctors find a large brain tumor behind Hes known as Johnny B. Badd from the World Wrestling Federation. 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. Anthony Ray Hinton, an inmate on Alabama's death row, asks us to decide whether the Alabama courts correctly applied Strickland to his case. So I believe in the promise of hope alive, he said. "I woke up like I do every morning I knew that my mother was cooking," Hinton recounted. He told a gathering of family and supporters that "the sun does shine." Hinton, 59, wiped . 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. Ala. 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization. He has one message for everyone who will listen: Our system is broken, and its time to put a stop to the death penalty. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Share your prayer requests, receive prayer and pray for others! And you know why? I said, No. He said, You got a white man. Death Penalty Information Center | 1701 K Street NW Suite 205 Washington, DC 20006, Phone: 202-289-2275 | Email: [emailprotected], Privacy Policy | 2023 Death Penalty Information Center. Ray had a message, and he taught that message to his neighbor Henry, though they only had one thing in common. See Innocence and Race. BY DEBORAH McKEON | TELEGRAM STAFF. 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. By not voting, you allow people to get into the drivers seat that allows them to oppress you even more., For 30 years, Mr. Hinton was stripped of all his rights while he sat on Alabama's death row for a crime he didn't commit. The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life, Freedom, and Justice, Rekindling the Power of God Within to Effect Change. 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. No one knows the hardship created by our inefficient system more than I do, Mr. Hinton wrote. Nightline profiles Mr. Hintons release and his first days of freedom. The only evidence that the state ever had claimed, connected Mr. Hinton, did not exist.. (Teacher Tip the three charts in the article can be shared and analyzed without having to read the entire article.). Have your students watch the video and answer the questions below. He-he-he's going to be executed, says Lester. [2] Hinton was sentenced to death and held on the state's death row for 28 years before his 2015 release. After a few years, the club grew as the news spread quickly in the prison that reading was a good escape. 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. I lived in hell for 30 years, so I dont want to die and go to hell. Hinton was 29 when was convicted and sentenced to die in the state's electric chair. Id., at 687-688, 694. Introductions: Anthony Ray Hinton May 2, 2019. [emailprotected]. On February 23, 1985, 49-year-old John Davidson, the assistant manager of Mrs. Winner's fried chicken restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama, was fatally shot in an after-hours robbery. 24, 2019, 2:11 p.m. Anthony Ray Hinton, who spent nearly 30 years on Alabama's death row, was freed this morning after prosecutors told a judge they won't re-try him for the 1985 . All of yall always doing something and the moment you get caught, you say you didnt do it. What do you do with that? asks Ray. He added that from the outset, this case exhibited many of the classic signs of innocence.. This lesson uses a video segment from PBS NewsHours Searching for Justice series. Number two, a white man is gonna say you shot him, whether you shot him or not, believe, me I dont care, says Ray. Hintons public defender was roundly criticized for his work hetried to appeal his case and routinely failed, according to The Guardian. 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. Jacobs was afraid to publish or write her tale, but Douglass was not, and her story was published in many variations. [4], After Hinton's arrest, his public defense attorney did not provide adequate counsel. See her moment of surrender, and the miracle of life. The first three years, I was in a stage of hating, says Ray. [4] After being released, Hinton wrote and published a memoir The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row (2018). $140 per post at $7/CPM. I am passionate in sharing Gods love to the world through the skills and talents God has blessed me with. Send a prayer request now, or call 18007007000. 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. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] 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. Anthony Ray Hinton Equal Justice Initiative. That aint what He said. He was convicted because hes poor, Mr. Stevenson said. Anthony Ray, then a 29-year-old warehouseman, was mowing his mum's lawn when his life was torn apart in July 1985. 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. 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 Alabamas death row. 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. Today, as EJI Community Educator, hes a tireless and powerful advocate for abolition of the death penalty. Hinton wasnt eligible to vote in the 2016 presidential election. Discover God's peace now. Love your enemy. The only way that we will ever conquer hate is love.. And looked at the evidence and they said this is, you know, there is no match here. Feb 24, 2017 Updated Feb 24, 2017. With the help of his co-author Lara Love Hardin, Hinton conveys all the horror of his years in solitary confinement, barely able to breath in 120F (49C) summer heat, eating food that tasted like dust. 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. [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. [18] He had previously spoken to the students of the Class of 2019, six months after his release, in 2015. 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.