[15] Writing for The Guardian, Tim Adams described the book as, "a story of forgiveness and struggle"[16] and concludes that, "his wonderful memoir recreates the ways he escaped from his cell in his head had tea with the Queen of England, married Halle Berry and how he shared that possibility with his fellow death row inmates. The New York Times bestseller and Oprah's Book Club 2018 Selection. Dont miss reporting and analysis from the Hill and the White House. [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]. Now a Community Educator with EJI, Ray is doing what he can to bring reform to the justice system. Anthony Hinton. I write mainly, not to express myself, but to encourage and bless people through writing. Anthony Ray, then a 29-year-old warehouseman, was mowing his mum's lawn when his life was torn apart in July 1985. [4] Hinton's book received extremely positive reviews. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Still, even though Stevenson had new ballistics tests performed on Hintons behalf, the Alabama courts denied the appeal, after taking two years to deliberate. Im Christel Berns. All rights reserved. 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]. We conclude that they did not and hold that Hinton's trial attorney rendered constitutionally deficient performance. Despite pleas by Mr. Hintons lawyers, who cited conclusions by newly enlisted specialists, the state refused for years to reconsider the evidence. Students will discuss systemic error in the criminal justice system and the real impact of wrongful convictions on individual lives. All the while, Mr. Hinton remained at a prison in south Alabama, awaiting his execution. Hinton wasnt eligible to vote in the 2016 presidential election. In 1985, two Birmingham area fast-food restaurants were robbed and the managers, John Davidson and Thomas Wayne Vason, were fatally shot. During their unlikely friendship, Ray saw God change Henry from a man full of hatred, to one who knew Gods love and had found redemption in Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved, U.S. History, U.S. Government & Civics, Criminal Justice, Legal Studies. [4] After being released, Hinton wrote and published a memoir The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row (2018). Anthony Ray Hinton Equal Justice Initiative. 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. First, have students answer the following questions, either in class discussion or as written answers. The only expert willing to testify at that price was a civil engineer with very little ballistics training and limited by having one eye; he admitted in court to having trouble in operating the microscope. On Friday, Mr. Hinton was presented with some of the modern conveniences that emerged during his decades in prison, including an iPhone. For a Google doc version of this lesson, click here. Hinton was convicted of murdering two fast food restaurant managers and sentenced to death at the age of 29. EJI attorneys engaged three of the nations top firearms examiners who testified in 2002 that the revolver could not be matched to crime evidence. In 1985 he was convicted of the murders of two restaurant workers in Birmingham, Ala. Thirty years later . Anthony Ray Hinton. In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. Mr. Hinton spent 30 years on death row for a crime he did not commit. Please check your information and try again or call us at 1-800-759-0700. Anyone can read what you share. 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. 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. "Number one, you're black. 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. 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.. In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and wrongfully charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. The gun belonged to his mother, but forensics experts hired by the state of Alabama claimed that it was the murder weapon. Your natural reaction was it-it's over. Anthony Ray Hinton was released from prison in Birmingham, Ala., on Friday. Hintons luck changed, however, when Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer with the Equal Justice Initiative, took on his case. Warm-up activity: Think, write, and share with a partner (virtual option create a Google doc or online discussion have students write their answers and respond to at least one other students answer). I lived in hell for 30 years, so I dont want to die and go to hell. 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. Write the Vision, Make It Plain, Run With It. The Lost Books Of The Bible: Should We Accept Or Reject? Anthony Ray Hinton, an inmate on Alabama's death row, asks us to decide whether the Alabama courts correctly applied Strickland to his case. And Henry said, Well, you know, Ray, Ive been reading the Bible. Hinton speaks about racism's role in conviction. Anthony Ray Hintons memoir of his wrongful imprisonment for 30 years for three murders he did not commit is a riveting account of the multiple outrages of the criminal justice system of Alabama. Then he found hope in sharing Christ during his nearly 30 years on death row. That paid for the experts who got it wrong. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! In the first two robberies, the managers were killed and there were no witnesses or physical evidence . I truly believe God sent me to death row to meet Henry Francis Hays, says Ray. Start your day together with God and the GOD TV team. Executions are carried out in the name of the people of Alabama and we should all be concerned if we make oursystem less reliable and the execution of innocent people more likely. A Christian man was falsely convicted of murder for 30 years, but he spent his time sharing Jesus inside the cells. Pastor Glen Berteau wants to reignite the fire of God within believers that have allowed their faith to become dormant. (334) 269-1803 [2] Hinton was sentenced to death and held on the state's death row for 28 years before his 2015 release. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! And looked at the evidence and they said this is, you know, there is no match here. Pain and terror: America's history of racism, Let sleeping dogs lie: Lynching memorial angers some. As it concerns Alabama, however, a representative from the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama said that Hinton has yet to receive an official apology or any restitution due him from the state of Alabama. The first three years, I was in a stage of hating, says Ray. Do You Know These 14 Hebrew Names of God? 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. Number one, youre black. It only takes the first two pages of the introduction by the authors equally remarkable lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, to make the reader appalled. After 28 years of living in a cell that was five . 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. And number five, youre gonna have an all-white jury.. 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. 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. 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. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] 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. SUPPORTED BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU. And Anthony made a decision to accept the reality and still allow God to use him while in prison. BELTON Two Bell County men were indicted by a grand . It took almost a decade for Mr. Hinton and his lawyers to recruit a panel of experts, including a former F.B.I. "[14] He completed a memoir entitled The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row (2018), and has given readings and talks around the country about the book and his experiences. Now, at 58, after spending decades behind bars, Hinton is free. 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. March 22, 20185:57 AM. [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. Officers had retrieved a handgun from Mr. Hintons home and, after analyzing it and the recovered bullets, concluded that the shootings were tied. Death Row Exonoree Wednesday, April 12, 2023 8pm. But, Hinton was still convicted and sentenced to death. Ive always felt that I have the Supreme Lawyer, says Ray. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Wrongly convicted, he was on death row for decades. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. 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. An Alabama man has been freed after spending nearly 30 years on death row. Under the Fair Justice Act, I'd be dead. Their forensics experts were unable to match crime-scene bullets to Hinton's mother's gun. Ray stayed on death row until the US Supreme Court overturned his sentence in 2015nearly thirty years later. "[unreliable source?] Despite his innocence, Anthony Ray Hinton lingered on death row for nearly 30 years for crimes he did not commit. In 1985 Anthony Ray Hinton was charged with the murders of two restaurant managers in Birmingham, Alabama. [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. Moving forward, he chose to pray for those men who set him up instead. The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life, Freedom, and Justice, Rekindling the Power of God Within to Effect Change. 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. Anthony, or Ray, still remembers the arresting officer's chilling words. Why was it important for a white ballistics expert to be hired? Prosecutors dropped the case against Anthony Ray Hinton, 58, when new . But while Im here, everything around me gonna live. But it doesnt matter. 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. EJI attorneys engaged three of the nation's top firearms . I say it because they took 30 years from me.. What are the mistakes in the case against Mr. Hinton? Men indicted on separate officer assault charges. At Holman Correctional Facility, Rays cell was a mere 30 feet from the execution chair they called Yellow Mama. Arrested for a series of capital murders in his home town with no corroborating evidence, and with no history of violent crime, Mr. Hinton was convicted on the basis of testimony that a gun owned by his mother - which had not been fired in 25 years - was the gun used in all three murders. 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. The States evidence of a match was wholly discredited by three highly qualified firearms examiners, including the former chief of the FBIs firearm and toolmarks unit, who testified in 2002 that the bullets from all three crimes could not be matched to a single gun at all, much less to Mrs. Hintons gun, and found that her gun could not have fired the bullets from the third uncharged robbery. 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 two Harriets were termed abolitionists because they wanted slavery to be abolished. He left Notre Dame Law students with a challenge to serve justice. 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. Police seized an old revolver belonging to Mr. Hintons mother, and state firearm examiners said that was the gun used in all three crimes. Anthony Ray Hinton Exonerated After 30 Years on Death Row. Discover God's peace now. He was convicted of two murders in 1985. 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. Dick Kearns, Fr. In "True Justice" one of Mr. Stevenson's clients Anthony Ray Hinton discusses his arrest. Ala. Police arrived at the house near Birmingham, Alabama, and arrested him for. 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. What are your thoughts about the death penalty after reading this article? 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. 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?. Joe Nangle will also be honored May 19 Anthony Ray Hinton will deliver the keynote address May 19 at St. Bonaventure University's 159 th Commencement ceremony, almost four years after he left an indelible impression on the class about to graduate.. Hinton was released from prison in April 2015 after spending 30 years on Alabama's death row for a crime he did . The engineer said that there wasnt any connection between the weapon and the shooting. Perhacs hired a civil engineer who had impaired vision and didnt have any forensic experience. I am passionate in sharing Gods love to the world through the skills and talents God has blessed me with. Mr. Hinton wrote: Because the so called Fair Justice Actnow pending before the state legislatureputs time restrictions on how long death row prisoners have to prove their innocence or a wrongful conviction, this legislation increases the risk of executing innocent people and makes our system even less fair. Plus, two long lost cousins Hooked on drugs before he was a teen, a meth addict has only one goal in life. Indifferent to these concerns, the Alabama legislature passed the new law this spring,making it more difficult to obtain adequate counsel and imposing more unfair filing requirements. 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. 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. Introductions: Anthony Ray Hinton May 2, 2019. Despite providing a solid alibi, Anthony Ray Hinton was still sentenced to death by the state of Alabama. Hinton began his talk by explaining the context of his arrest, where he was charged with first-degree robbery, kidnapping and attempted murder. 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.. 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. He was convicted because hes poor, Mr. Stevenson said. We have a system that treats you better if youre rich and guilty than if youre poor and innocent, and his case proves it. 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. 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 . 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. 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. 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. Alabama inmate Anthony Ray Hinton walked out of prison Friday as a free man after 30 years on death row. Feb 24, 2017 Updated Feb 24, 2017. See her moment of surrender, and the miracle of life. However, the jury disregarded his testimony because of his poor eyesight and inability to use the microscope correctly. 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 Hinton (left) with attorney Bryan Stevenson following a hearing at which EJI argued all charges against Mr. Hinton must be dismissed immediately. 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. Can God change your life? 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. 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. AMY GOODMAN: Anthony Ray Hinton was convicted of murdering two fast-food managers in separate robberies in 1985. Mr. Hinton hugs EJI lawyer Charlotte Morrison. He said to Hinton, "All of y'all blacks always say you didnt do something. Deputies escort Mr. Hinton in the courthouse during his trial. Stunned, Read the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution below and determine which of the five reasons from the second question of activity 1 were unconstitutional. That paid to keep him on death row for 30 years for a crime he didnt commit. His book is a harrowing masterpiece. [4], Hinton's initial appeals continued to be handled by his public defender, Sheldon C. Perhacs, who lost each of Hintons cases. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. A jury found him guilty, a judge sentenced him to death. There is no question A 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. "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. Get daily or weekly highlights from The 700 Club delivered to your inbox. St. Bonaventure University in New York awarded Hinton an honorary doctorate degree in May. In the interview, Hinton described how issues of race permeated his case. After 30 years in custody for crimes he did not commit, Mr. Hintons release is bittersweet. But the state court of Alabama refused to overturn his convictions or grant a new trial. By Christina Gould, SAL Patron Services Manager. What were the charges brought against Hinton? Despite Rays ironclad alibi for at least one of the robberies, and the lack of solid evidence, prosecutors pushed for a conviction. Hinton hopes that will change, and his vote on Tuesday gave him hope that it will change soon. . Anthonys mother and best friend also were crushed by the outcome. 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. A total of 54 men walked past Hinton's cell on their way to execution. Join Washington Post senior critic-at-large Robin . This has nothing to do with luck. 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. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. The only evidence that the state ever had claimed, connected Mr. Hinton, did not exist.. Hintons public defender was roundly criticized for his work hetried to appeal his case and routinely failed, according to The Guardian. 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. 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.