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. SUPPORTED BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU. 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. 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. Breaking Free From The Voice Of Perfection: How Gods Word For You Today: Jesus Is Your Friend, Remarkable Miracles That Are Available For You Too, Turn Down The Noise And Find God In Your Stillness, Prayer Is A Powerful Weapon 5 Effective Strategies For Breakthrough, What I Learned From The Chosen: God Loves Us Enough To Protect Us, Woman In Wheelchair Miraculously Takes Off Running During A Revival Service In Brazil. And you know why? I said, No. He said, You got a white man. There is no question A Number two, a white is gonna say you shot him whether you shot him or not.. three, youre going to have a white prosecutor. #ElectionDay #Vote2020 pic.twitter.com/J2eFOWnheD. Living the Christian life is a journey. In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. Their forensics experts were unable to match crime-scene bullets to Hinton's mother's gun. [9], Hinton was sent to death row, where he was held in solitary confinement for nearly three decades. 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. 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. Ray has a strong alibi for one of the incidents, and the supposed murder weapon, Ray's mom's gun, hasn't been fired in years, but the authorities refuse to consider this. Two days later, after serving 30 years in prison for a crime he didnt commit, Ray was released. In the interview, Hinton described how issues of race permeated his case. On July 31, 1985, the police arrested Anthony Ray Hinton for murder. 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. In the summer of 1985 in Birmingham, Alabama, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested, tried, and convicted of the murders of two restaurant workers earlier that year; two crimes he was innocent of. [2] Hinton was sentenced to death and held on the state's death row for 28 years before his 2015 release.[2][3][4][5][6]. 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. I said, Henry, I truly believe that you are going to Heaven, says Ray. 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. (What were the five reasons given by the white police officer that guaranteed Mr. Hintons supposed guilt?) In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence. He organized a book club that was allowed to meet in the prison's law library. And number five, youre gonna have an all-white jury.. [3][4], In June 1988, the unanimous Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed Hinton's conviction and death sentence. with his arrest in one shooting that occurred while witnesses said he was at work miles away. How was the case finally overturned? Prosecutors dropped the case against Anthony Ray Hinton, 58, when new . On July 31, 1985, the police arrested Anthony Ray Hinton for murder. Anthony Ray Hinton speaks to students on November 13, 2018, in the . Mar 30, 2016 Updated Mar 31, 2016. A woman suspects a stroke as her eyes twitch and she experiences slurred speech. So I believe in the promise of hope alive, he said. Love your enemy. The only way that we will ever conquer hate is love.. 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. They gonna say you shot him. The reality is much worse as doctors find a large brain tumor behind Hes known as Johnny B. Badd from the World Wrestling Federation. (S. Pelley, Life After Death Row, 60 Minutes, January 10, 2016.) 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. Anthony Ray Hinton, age 61, now lives as a free man in the state of Alabama, where he was born and raised. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! I dont think the society nor the men that did this to me realized what they took from me, says Ray. "[17], On May 19, 2019, Hinton spoke at St. Bonaventure University's commencement exercises and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Human Letters degree. Being locked up for 30 years made me realize how important the vote was, He added. Number four, youre gonna have a white judge. and "Y'all blacks always sticking up for each other."[who?] In the interview, Hinton described how issues of race permeated his case. Soon after, prosecutors pushed for conviction upon him, and his appeal for innocence was defeated. In 2015, Hintons 30 years of unbroken prayers were answered and the nations highest court ruled unanimously in his favor. An all-white jury sentenced him guilty of two counts of capital murder and to death by electric chair.. 1. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 0. But the state court of Alabama refused to overturn his convictions or grant a new trial. For Ray, it was a bittersweet moment. 1. This article was published more than2 years ago. 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. 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. 2. Among their efforts for criminal justice reform, the non-profit provides legal aid to those whove been imprisoned unjustly. What was the turning point in prison for Hinton? 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 . [2] Hinton was sentenced to death and held on the state's death row for 28 years before his 2015 release. On parole for petty theft, the 29-year-old was living with his mom and working as a day laborer. They just didn't take me from my family and friends. Some 300,000 Alabamians had completed sentences but still didnt have the ballot, according to the Sentencing Project, a nonprofit group working to create more fairness in the criminal justice system. 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. Anthony Ray Hinton. 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. 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 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. After a few years, the club grew as the news spread quickly in the prison that reading was a good escape. He has one message for everyone who will listen: Our system is broken, and its time to put a stop to the death penalty. Stunned, 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. And number five, youre gonna have an all-white jury., Anthony fought to claim his innocence. Stunned, confused, and only 29 years old, Hinton knew that it was a case of mistaken identity . He said to Hinton, "All of y'all blacks always say you didnt do something. 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. Get more than a Sunday sermon. They were both convicts on death row. But Hinton was ultimately convicted due to a gun that was discovered in his mothers home, where he lived. Anthony Ray Hinton did not sleep very well the night before Tuesdays presidential election. If you could speak with anyone interviewed in the video, what are two questions you would ask them? BELTON Two Bell County men were indicted by a grand . The legislature has resisted approval of this payment, as state authorities say that he did not prove his innocence. BY DEBORAH McKEON | TELEGRAM STAFF. In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. Founded by a lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, it had a track record of overturning unjust convictions and in winning a. Police arrest Anthony Ray Hintonthe man they believe committed three armed robberies that left two restaurant managers dead, and a third wounded. His peaceful morning was quickly interrupted when police officers - with a warrant for Hinton's arrest - taunted, handcuffed and arrested the teenage Hinton. Please check your information and try again or call us at 1-800-759-0700. [emailprotected]. By unanimous vote, the court ruled to grant Ray a new trial. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Mr. Hinton is the 152nd person exonerated from an American death row since 1973. [18] He had previously spoken to the students of the Class of 2019, six months after his release, in 2015. That paid to keep him on death row for 30 years for a crime he didnt commit. The arresting officer told him chilling words he would never forget when authorities arrested him. Number two, a white man gonna say you shot him. The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life, Freedom, and Justice, Rekindling the Power of God Within to Effect Change. I mean ONLY.. Then in 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Rays case. It was 1986. 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. "[16] Kirkus Reviews calls the book, "a heart-wrenching yet ultimately hopeful story about truth, justice, and the need for criminal justice reform. He-he-he's going to be executed, says Lester. Mr. Stevenson said it was unclear whether Mr. Hinton would ever receive any compensation from the state. [4], Hinton's initial appeals continued to be handled by his public defender, Sheldon C. Perhacs, who lost each of Hintons cases. This has everything to do with the way we treat those who are vulnerable in our criminal justice system.. 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. [8] In June 1989, that judgment was affirmed by the unanimous Supreme Court of Alabama. The Lost Books Of The Bible: Should We Accept Or Reject? The only potential evidence that proves Mr. Hinton committed the murders depends upon an absolute, conclusive determination that the bullets recovered from their bodies were in fact fired through the barrel of the firearm taken from the defendants home, prosecutors wrote in their court filing on Wednesday. [emailprotected]. Id., at 687-688, 694. 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. Bryan Stevenson told media this is a textbook example of injustice.. One of his arresting officers explained his fate this way, after the prisoner told him he could prove he had been working at the time of one of the murders: You know, I dont even care whether you did or didnt do it In fact, I believe you didnt do it. 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 . The lecture began with Hinton recounting the day of his arrest in extreme detail. -- Anthony Ray Hinton spent more than half his life on death row in southern Alabama. Harriet Beecher Stowe and Harriet Tubman were two of the most well-known abolitionists.. Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs were both able to free themselves from slavery. All the while, Mr. Hinton remained at a prison in south Alabama, awaiting his execution. An Alabama man has been freed after spending nearly 30 years on death row. After a new round of analysis, prosecutors wrote, state experts found that they could not conclusively determine that any of the six bullets were or were not fired through the same firearm or that they were fired through the firearm recovered from the defendants home.. Discuss as an entire class. When the very people that you been taught to believe in the police, the D.A., these are the people that are supposed to stand for justice and when you know that they lied to you, its hard for you to have trust in anybody, he said. Anthonys mother and best friend also were crushed by the outcome. CBN is a global ministry committed to preparing the nations of the world for the coming of Jesus Christ through mass media. [4] After being released, Hinton wrote and published a memoir The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row (2018). Introductions: Anthony Ray Hinton May 2, 2019. Among the authors whom the prisoners read and discussed were James Baldwin and Harper Lee. And number five, youre gonna have an all-white jury.. This is the state of Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat and we changed things through legislation and the vote. I even asked God, What did I do so bad?. $200 per post at $10/CPM. I am passionate in sharing Gods love to the world through the skills and talents God has blessed me with. According to what we discussed this year the 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. Casting a ballot represents a culmination of Mr. Hintons victory over that system., Voting for the first time was like a breath of fresh air. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. 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. Anthony Ray Hinton spent decades in jail for crimes he did not commit. March 22, 20185:57 AM. Despite Rays ironclad alibi for at least one of the robberies, and the lack of solid evidence, prosecutors pushed for a conviction. He spent 30 years in prison until, with the help of. Ive got to forgive, he said. 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. Because he was convicted of something, he didnt even do. 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. 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. Start your day together with God and the GOD TV team. Authorities arrested Hinton in 1985, after a string of robberies at restaurants in Birmingham. The panel questioned the findings of the Alabama authorities, but the state remained steadfast. No one knows the hardship created by our inefficient system more than I do, Mr. Hinton wrote. After 30 years on death row, Anthony Ray Hinton was exonerated over two years ago. 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. In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital . 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. Hinton was 29 when was convicted and sentenced to die in the state's electric chair. On February 24, 2014, the Supreme Court today unanimously granted relief to Anthony Hinton, finding that his trial lawyer was constitutionally deficient. He also works with the U.S. State Department in a global online exchange program teaching educators and students to use comics to find their voice and to solve pressing global issues. Police seized an old revolver belonging to Mr. Hintons mother, and state firearm examiners said that was the gun used in all three crimes. Number four, youre gonna have a white judge. 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. And looked at the evidence and they said this is, you know, there is no match here. The sun does shine, he said as he was embraced by family and friends. In this lesson, students meet. Understanding The Holy Of Holies Inside The Temple. Anthony Ray Hinton attends "True Justice: Bryan Stevenson's Fight For Equality" New York Screening at SVA Theater on June 24, 2019. They didn't care. Hear Marc Meros reflection on life inside the ring, what knocked him out and A woman is diagnosed with cancer and its spreading quickly. Ala. Have students pair/share with a partner. 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. At the same time, Republican lawmakers introduced the Fair Justice Act. As Mr. Hinton wrote in an op-ed, had the Fair Justice Act been in place when he was convicted, I would have been executed despite my innocence. Like other men and women sentenced to death in Alabama, where there is no state-funded office to provide counsel for postconviction proceedings,it took years to find volunteer lawyers willing and able to provide the legal assistance Mr. Hinton needed to prove his innocence. Hinton was exonerated in 2015, when he was 59 years old, according to NBC News. Your natural reaction was it-it's over. 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.. 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. 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. Anthony Ray Hinton Exonerated After 30 Years on Death Row. 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. Theres five things theyre going to convict you to, the officer told him. And Henry said, Well, you know, Ray, Ive been reading the Bible. Following his release, Hinton famously remarked, The sun do shine., Thirty years ago, the prosecution seemed deemed to take my life from me, he continued, according to an NPR report. Hinton spent 30 years on Alabama's death row for crimes he didn't commit. Hence, he asked God to remove the hatred and bitterness in his heart. 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. Ray was arrested, convicted, imprisoned, and sentenced to death for a crime he didn't commit. Only by the grace of God, says Ray. 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. [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. [4] Hinton was portrayed by O'Shea Jackson Jr. in the 2019 film Just Mercy. 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. On Tuesday, he cast a vote for president. When Ray was arrested for crimes he didn't commit, he remembers telling the police officers that he didn't do it. Share your prayer requests, receive prayer and pray for others! 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. Anthony Ray Hinton's story of being wrongfully convicted and serving almost thirty years on Death Row is one of gargantuan unfairness. By Jennifer Edwards Staff Writer. [4] Finally, Hinton was the last prisoner left on death row. On Friday, Mr. Hinton was presented with some of the modern conveniences that emerged during his decades in prison, including an iPhone. You gonna have a white jury more than likely. And he said, All of that spell conviction, conviction, conviction. I said, Well, does it matter that I didnt do it? He said, Not to me. Hinton went on to explain how he felt about the racial bias in his case: I cant get over the fact that just because I was born black and someone that had the authority who happened to be white felt the need to send me to a cage and try to take my life for something that they knew that I didnt do. Bryan Stevenson, Hintons attorney and the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, joined Hinton for the interview, and spoke about the systemic issues surrounding the case. Their key piece of evidenceexpert testimony claiming the ballistics report of the bullets pulled from the victims matched a handgun found in Rays home. Hinton was convicted of murdering two fast food restaurant managers and sentenced to death at the age of 29. In the first two robberies, the managers were killed and there were no witnesses or physical evidence . Hinton knew it was a case of mistaken identity and naively believed that the truth would prove his innocence and set him free. 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. Anyone can read what you share. 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. But it doesnt matter. Ray stayed on death row until the US Supreme Court overturned his sentence in 2015nearly thirty years later. Mr. Hinton, during an interview in which he sometimes cried and buried his head in his hands, lashed out at the officials whose decisions he said had kept him wrongly imprisoned. At Holman Correctional Facility, Rays cell was a mere 30 feet from the execution chair they called Yellow Mama. Discover the book that broke his thirty-year habit on todays 700 Club. Can God change your life? We have a system that treats you better if youre rich and guilty than if youre poor and innocent, and his case proves it. So Ive got to forgive. 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. . And youre going to take the rap. There was no evidence at all to tie Hinton to two of the three murders he was accused of, and he was locked in a supermarket warehouse cleaning floors when a restaurant manager 15 miles away was abducted, robbed and shot. [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. Alabama inmate Anthony Ray Hinton walked out of prison Friday as a free man after 30 years on death row. Anthony Hinton (left) with attorney Bryan Stevenson following a hearing at which EJI argued all charges against Mr. Hinton must be dismissed immediately. The books are still passed around from cell to cell, but the meetings in the prison library are over. This lesson is part of NewsHours Searching for Justice series on criminal justice reform. Despite pleas by Mr. Hintons lawyers, who cited conclusions by newly enlisted specialists, the state refused for years to reconsider the evidence. EJI attorneys engaged three of the nations top firearms examiners who testified in 2002 that the revolver could not be matched to crime evidence. It was there on a panel discussion, Reforming Criminal Justice in America . Mar 27, 2019 . Biden enlists potential rivals as advisers ahead of 2024, Their toddler took a nap in an Airbnb and fentanyl killed her. What did Hinton say were the five reasons given by the police officer that guaranteed his conviction? Hinton would smell burning flesh from the electric chair, also called Yellow Mama, because it was close to his cell. 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. Firearms experts convened by an Equal Justice Initiative attorney testified in 2002 that the revolver was not the weapon used in the murders of the two fast-food managers. 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. 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.