anthony ray hinton arresting officer

Stunned, confused, and only 29 years old, Hinton knew that it was a case of mistaken identity . What did I do? 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. The court was unable to affirm the forensic evidence of a gun, which was the only evidence in the first trial. Police seized an old revolver belonging to Mr. Hintons mother, and state firearm examiners said that was the gun used in all three crimes. After 12 more years of litigation, theU.S. Supreme Court reversedthe lower courts, and a new trial was granted. Hinton wasnt eligible to vote in the 2016 presidential election. He said, Number three, youre gonna have a white prosecutor. Hinton was convicted of murdering two fast food restaurant managers and sentenced to death at the age of 29. When he was 29 . 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. 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. Ray stayed on death row until the US Supreme Court overturned his sentence in 2015nearly thirty years later. State prosecutors never questioned the new findings but nonetheless refused to re-examine the case or concede error. What are your thoughts about the death penalty after reading this article? 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. The panel questioned the findings of the Alabama authorities, but the state remained steadfast. 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. "Number one, you're black. Ray began to realize the person he had become wasnt the one his mother had raised him to bea man who loved God and followed the example of Jesus Christ. Since his release, Hinton has spoken in various venues about the injustices of the Alabama judicial system and other issues related to his conviction and imprisonment. I even asked God, What did I do so bad?. In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital . Copyright 2022 GOD TV, Simco Media LLC. Anthony Ray Hinton spent decades in jail for crimes he did not commit. "If God hadn't intervened and sent me his best lawyer, within two years I would . 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. Students will examine the challenges faced by individuals wrongfully convicted of felonies. Our tax dollars that paid for the judge and the prosecutor that prosecuted him. 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. But it would be a single piece of evidence that held the key to proving Rays innocence. [5][7] The jury disregarded the testimony of Hinton's boss, who testified that he was at work during the time of the alleged crimes. 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 talked about his wrongful conviction, his decades in prison, and the lingering effects he has experienced after leaving prison. Have your students watch the video and answer the questions below. Mr. Hinton hugs EJI lawyer Charlotte Morrison. Anthony Ray Hinton Exonerated After 30 Years on Death Row. 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. 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. Published: Apr. The bill never even made it out of committee. Death Row Exonoree Wednesday, April 12, 2023 8pm. Hinton spent 28 years on death row for two robbery-murders in the Birmingham, Ala., area in the mid-1980s. They began, he said, with his arrest in one shooting that occurred while witnesses said he was at work miles away. I finally looked at you as a human being.. I said, Henry, I truly believe that you are going to Heaven, says Ray. Anthonys mother and best friend also were crushed by the outcome. Anthony Ray Hinton attends "True Justice: Bryan Stevenson's Fight For Equality" New York Screening at SVA Theater on June 24, 2019. [2] Hinton was sentenced to death and held on the state's death row for 28 years before his 2015 release. Nightline profiles Mr. Hintons release and his first days of freedom. Jesus didnt say, Hey, when an enemy come across you, I want you to hate him, says Ray. The prosecutors who filed the motion to dismiss the case did not respond to messages seeking comment, and, through a spokesman, the Alabama attorney general declined to be interviewed. [8] In June 1989, that judgment was affirmed by the unanimous Supreme Court of Alabama. The refusal of state prosecutors to re-examine this case despite persuasive and reliable evidence of innocence is disappointing and troubling.. See her moment of surrender, and the miracle of life. 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, NBC News reports. Have students write a personal response summarizing the video How do you feel after seeing Hintons struggle with the criminal justice system? And Anthony made a decision to accept the reality and still allow God to use him while in prison. The Sun Does Shine is an extraordinary testament to the power of hope sustained through the darkest times, now adapted for younger readers, with a revised foreword by Just Mercy author Bryan Stevenson. 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. You dont know freedom until its taken from you, Hinton told The Washington Post on Tuesday night. [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]. I mean ONLY.. 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?. 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. Id., at 687-688, 694. And, haltingly, he began to talk about mercy. A total of 54 men walked past Hinton's cell on their way to execution. Plus, two long lost cousins Hooked on drugs before he was a teen, a meth addict has only one goal in life. Subjects: U.S. History, U.S. Government & Civics, Criminal Justice, Legal Studies, Estimated time: One or two 50-minute class periods. But for all yall thats snapping the cameras, I want you to know there is a God.. 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. And you know why? I said, No. He said, You got a white man. He was convicted of two murders in 1985. He has spoken out against the death penalty, calling it a "form of lynching. 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. Anthony Ray Hinton, age 61, now lives as a free man in the state of Alabama, where he was born and raised. 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. Officers had retrieved . 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. What are the mistakes in the case against Mr. Hinton? He was convicted because hes poor, Mr. Stevenson said. If you have an immediate prayer need, please call our 24-hour prayer line at 800-700-7000. Despite his innocence, Anthony Ray Hinton lingered on death row for nearly 30 years for crimes he did not 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. 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. For 30 years, Anthony Ray Hinton sat on death row for a crime he didn't commit 30 years of "pure hell," as he described it. Police arrived at the house near Birmingham, Alabama, and arrested him for. Love your enemy. The only way that we will ever conquer hate is love.. Anthony Ray Hinton was released from prison in Birmingham, Ala., on Friday. 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. [4] After being released, Hinton wrote and published a memoir The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row (2018). This lesson is part of NewsHours Searching for Justice series on criminal justice reform. 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. An all-white jury would find Ray guilty of two counts of capital murder and sentence him to death by electric chair. Officers had retrieved a handgun from Mr. Hintons home and, after analyzing it and the recovered bullets, concluded that the shootings were tied. Despite Rays ironclad alibi for at least one of the robberies, and the lack of solid evidence, prosecutors pushed for a conviction. But he was innocent. Here's his story. In the interview, Hinton described how issues of race permeated his case. The only evidence linking Hinton to the. Then Anthony spent the first three years in the prison full of bitterness in his heart. 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. Mr. Hinton was appointed a lawyer who mistakenly thought he could not get enough money to hire a qualified firearms examiner. [4] Hinton's book received extremely positive reviews. Watch a trailer. Sen. Paul Bussman, R-Cullman, has proposed legislation to grant Anthony Ray Hinton $1.5 million over three years. Bryan Stevenson told media this is a textbook example of injustice.. Now a Community Educator with EJI, Ray is doing what he can to bring reform to the justice system. The reality is much worse as doctors find a large brain tumor behind Hes known as Johnny B. Badd from the World Wrestling Federation. 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. Dont miss reporting and analysis from the Hill and the White House. 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 was the 152nd person exonerated from death row since 1983. 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 police turned up one day while Hinton, then 29, was mowing his mother's lawn; they. "[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. 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. 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. After 30 years on death row, Anthony Ray Hinton was exonerated over two years ago. 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. 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 truly believe God sent me to death row to meet Henry Francis Hays, says Ray. 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. "I woke up like I do every morning I knew that my mother was cooking," Hinton recounted. His claims of innocence would fall on deaf ears, including those of his court-appointed lawyer. Instead, They Want to Speed Up Executions. 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. 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. Despite providing a solid alibi, Anthony Ray Hinton was still sentenced to death by the state of Alabama. 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. One of those people was Henry Hays, a KKK member on death row for lynching a Black teenager. "[16] Kirkus Reviews calls the book, "a heart-wrenching yet ultimately hopeful story about truth, justice, and the need for criminal justice reform. Hinton was freed on the morning Friday, April 3, 2015, the 152nd death row inmate exonerated since 1983, according to the Equal Justice Initiative. A woman suspects a stroke as her eyes twitch and she experiences slurred speech. No fingerprints or eyewitness testimony were introduced. 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. 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 "Y'all blacks always sticking up for each other."[who?] Number two, a white man gonna say you shot him. We gonna have a white judge. 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. Anthony Ray Hinton leaves the Jefferson County jail in Birmingham, Alabama in April 2015, after nearly 30 years on death row. Their forensics experts were unable to match crime-scene bullets to Hinton's mother's gun. 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. 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. 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. We conclude that they did not and hold that Hinton's trial attorney rendered constitutionally deficient performance. Police arrest Anthony Ray Hintonthe man they believe committed three armed robberies that left two restaurant managers dead, and a third wounded. Hinton was convicted of each of the two murders and sentenced to death. 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. I hated those men that did this to me.. I lived in hell for 30 years, so I dont want to die and go to hell. 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. Im Christel Berns. 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. 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. 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. They were both convicts on death row. The Lost Books Of The Bible: Should We Accept Or Reject? Gonna have a white D.A. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Get daily or weekly highlights from The 700 Club delivered to your inbox. 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. What were the charges brought against Hinton? On Tuesday, he cast a vote for president. In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. After 30 years in custody for crimes he did not commit, Mr. Hintons release is bittersweet. The engineer said that there wasnt any connection between the weapon and the shooting. 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. 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. I have never experienced anything like it.. In 2018, Alabama residents who were previously convicted of felonies were able to register to vote under the Moral Turpitude Act of 2017. Anthony hated the men who did it to him. . 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. 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.. Anthony Ray Hinton Equal Justice Initiative. If you didnt do it, one of your brothers did. Rays mother, whod visited him almost every week since his incarceration, died in 2002. Having spent 30 years on. 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. Still, even though Stevenson had new ballistics tests performed on Hintons behalf, the Alabama courts denied the appeal, after taking two years to deliberate. On July 31, 1985, the police arrested Anthony Ray Hinton for murder. Their key piece of evidenceexpert testimony claiming the ballistics report of the bullets pulled from the victims matched a handgun found in Rays home. 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. By Jennifer Edwards Staff Writer. with his arrest in one shooting that occurred while witnesses said he was at work miles away. Only by the grace of God, says Ray. 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.. They gonna say you shot him. Rays mother, Buhlar, and his best friend, Lester Bailey, were crushed by the outcome. 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. The first three years, I was in a stage of hating, says Ray. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. [12] On April 1, 2015 the Jefferson County district attorneys office moved to drop the case. Mar 27, 2019 . 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, The Guardian reports. 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. I dont think the society nor the men that did this to me realized what they took from me, says Ray. Number three, youre gonna have a white district attorney. He went on tospend 28 years on death row 30 yearsin all, without his freedom. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Anthony Ray, then a 29-year-old warehouseman, was mowing his mum's lawn when his life was torn apart in July 1985. 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 . His lawyer writes: Never have more guards, correctional staff and prison workers pulled me aside to offer assistance during the many years I have worked with Ray. 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. By unanimous vote, the court ruled to grant Ray a new trial. In recent days leading up to the vote, Hinton had been thinking more about his grandparents and his parents, who he said werent allowed to vote because of voter suppression such as literacy tests, polls taxes and intimidation. 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. Alabama inmate Anthony Ray Hinton walked out of prison Friday as a free man after 30 years on death row. The lecture began with Hinton recounting the day of his arrest in extreme detail. 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. Hence, he asked God to remove the hatred and bitterness in his heart. There were no eyewitnesses or fingerprint evidence; police had no suspects and pressure to solve the murders grew as similar crimes continued. According to what we discussed this year the . 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. 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. Two days later, after serving 30 years in prison for a crime he didnt commit, Ray was released. Anthony, or Ray, still remembers the arresting officer's chilling words. Theres five things theyre going to convict you to, the officer told him. Having spent 30 years on Alabama's death row as an innocent man, the now-freed 64-year-old knows about confinement. The New York Times bestseller and Oprah's Book Club 2018 Selection. If this is where God intends for me to be and die, this is where I die. Anthony Ray Hinton spoke at Allegheny College on Thursday, Sept. 20. . Students will discuss systemic error in the criminal justice system and the real impact of wrongful convictions on individual lives. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Now, at 58, after spending decades behind bars, Hinton is free. Birmingham, Alabama, 1985. And number five, youre gonna have an all-white jury., Anthony fought to claim his innocence. On July 25, 1985, a restaurant in Bessemer was robbed and the manager was shot but not seriously wounded. We hired three of the nations best firearms experts, says Charlotte. The arresting officer told him chilling words he would never forget when authorities arrested him. Hinton would smell burning flesh from the electric chair, also called Yellow Mama, because it was close to his cell. It was 1986. Discover God's peace now. "Thirty years ago, the . Have students pair/share with a partner. AMY GOODMAN: Anthony Ray Hinton was convicted of murdering two fast-food managers in separate robberies in 1985. But then, soon, he realized he became the person his mother didnt raise him to be. By making the state postconviction process even more complicated and arbitrary, the law increases the likelihood that clients on death row will not receive full and fair review of their cases. This lesson uses a video segment from PBS NewsHours Searching for Justice series. A retired police officer in Essex County working as a private investigator and bounty hunter has sued officials in East Orange, claiming he spent four nights in jail after they arrested him on a . But while Im here, everything around me gonna live. The 29-year-old found himself helpless and questioned God what he did so wrong for it to happen to him.