He went on tospend 28 years on death row 30 yearsin all, without his freedom. Anthony Ray Hinton Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family Mr. Stevenson said it was unclear whether Mr. Hinton would ever receive any compensation from the state. It hurts so bad, says Ray. Rays mother, Buhlar, and his best friend, Lester Bailey, were crushed by the outcome. Under the Fair Justice Act, I'd be dead. 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. Rays mother, whod visited him almost every week since his incarceration, died in 2002. In 2018, Alabama residents who were previously convicted of felonies were able to register to vote under the Moral Turpitude Act of 2017. St. Bonaventure University in New York awarded Hinton an honorary doctorate degree in May. "To be accused of murder, itto me, it-it don't get no worse than that," says Anthony. If this is where God intends for me to be and die, this is where I die. 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. Send a prayer request now, or call 18007007000. Ive always felt that I have the Supreme Lawyer, says Ray. Police arrest Anthony Ray Hintonthe man they believe committed three armed robberies that left two restaurant managers dead, and a third wounded. One of those people was Henry Hays, a KKK member on death row for lynching a Black teenager. 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. After 30 years on death row, Anthony Ray Hinton was exonerated over two years ago. Legislators Wont Compensate Innocent Man for 30 Years on Death Row. 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. After 30 years in custody for crimes he did not commit, Mr. Hintons release is bittersweet. 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. Anthony Ray Hinton: 'We abandoned our prison system' - al.com He was wrongfully convicted of two murders and served nearly three decades in jail before being released in 2015. 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. Tim Smyth teaches 10th and 11th grade social studies at Wissahickon High School in Ambler, Pennsylvania. A woman suspects a stroke as her eyes twitch and she experiences slurred speech. In the interview, Hinton described how issues of race permeated his case. 07.31.17. He has received no compensation. Instead, They Want to Speed Up Executions. 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. [8] In June 1989, that judgment was affirmed by the unanimous Supreme Court of Alabama. Despite his innocence, Anthony Ray Hinton lingered on death row for nearly 30 years for crimes he did not commit. The only evidence linking Hinton to the. He has one message for everyone who will listen: Our system is broken, and its time to put a stop to the death penalty. For your mom not to be here the day that you are released, to run into her arms and say, Im home, Mom isI try my best to be the son that she brought me up to be, says Ray. During his decades in prison, he was supported by his mother's faith in his innocence, as well as that of a longtime friend, Lester Bailey, who visited him monthly. Hinton knew it was a case of mistaken identity and naively believed that the truth would prove his innocence and set him free. Read this article and answer the following questions. He organized a book club that was allowed to meet in the prison's law library. (You will need to make a copy of the document to edit it.). By Christina Gould, SAL Patron Services Manager. Read this article and answer the following questions. Their forensics experts were unable to match crime-scene bullets to Hinton's mother's gun. Anthony Ray Hinton found his calling on death row, but it's our job to 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. 3. Jesus didnt say, Hey, when an enemy come across you, I want you to hate him, says Ray. 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 Wrongfully Spent 30 Years on Death Row - Videos Watch a trailer. Their key piece of evidenceexpert testimony claiming the ballistics report of the bullets pulled from the victims matched a handgun found in Rays home. Number two, a white is gonna say you shot him whether you shot him or not.. three, youre going to have a white prosecutor. And number five, youre gonna have an all-white jury., Anthony fought to claim his innocence. Using television and the Internet, CBN is proclaiming the Good News in 149 countries and territories, with programs and content in 67 languages. Anthony Ray Hinton was sentenced to death and held in solitary confinement for 28 years on Alabama's death row before he was exonerated in 2015. I dont believe the God that I serve is gonna let me die for a crime He knows I didnt commit.. We vacate the lower court's judgment and remand the case . 1. 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. Anthony Ray Hinton was released from prison in Birmingham, Ala., on Friday. AMY GOODMAN: Anthony Ray Hinton was convicted of murdering two fast-food managers in separate robberies in 1985. Anthony Ray Hinton Awarded Honorary Doctorate Degree, Alabama Man Freed After Decades on Death Row, Freed Death Row Inmate: Humor Saved Me from Satan, 122 Commerce Street Montgomery, AL 36104 Hinton was convicted of murdering two fast food restaurant managers and sentenced to death at the age of 29. His claims of innocence would fall on deaf ears, including those of his court-appointed lawyer. I couldnt vote at one time in the state of Alabama, you couldnt marry outside of your race, you had to go to the back to get something to eat. "[17], On May 19, 2019, Hinton spoke at St. Bonaventure University's commencement exercises and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Human Letters degree. 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. Download the free myCBN app. Anthony Ray Hinton spoke at Allegheny College on Thursday, Sept. 20. . "I Spent 30 YEARS In Prison For A Crime I DIDN'T COMMIT!" | Anthony Ray All the while, Mr. Hinton remained at a prison in south Alabama, awaiting his execution. God made it possible for you to know. Perhacs hired a civil engineer who had impaired vision and didnt have any forensic experience. 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. 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. (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. If you have an immediate prayer need, please call our 24-hour prayer line at 800-700-7000. It was an overwhelming day, and it should never have taken that long, says Charlotte. The only thing reportedly linking Hinton to the crime was the word of a fast food worker who picked Hinton out of a line-up, leading to his arrest. The two Harriets were termed abolitionists because they wanted slavery to be abolished. The first three years, I was in a stage of hating, says Ray. with his arrest in one shooting that occurred while witnesses said he was at work miles away. We gonna have a white judge. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! This has nothing to do with luck. 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. He . Only by the grace of God, says Ray. 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. Alabama tried to kill a man who never should have been on death row To be accused of murder, itto me, it-it dont get no worse than that, says Anthony. But for all yall thats snapping the cameras, I want you to know there is a God.. If you didnt do it, one of your brothers did. He also wrote a book about his time in prison called The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row, which has since been selected for . Hinton was exonerated in 2015, when he was 59 years old, according to NBC News. But it would be a single piece of evidence that held the key to proving Rays innocence. [12] On April 1, 2015 the Jefferson County district attorneys office moved to drop the case. He was 29 years old at the time. From Death Row to a Life of Freedom: Anthony Ray Hinton Gonna have a white D.A. Join Washington Post senior critic-at-large Robin . . The Case Of Smallwood V. State - 406 Words | Internet Public Library [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. Police arrest Anthony Ray Hintonthe man they believe committed three armed robberies that left two restaurant managers dead, and a third wounded. Id., at 687-688, 694. Being locked up for 30 years made me realize how important the vote was, He added. The cop was right. (334) 269-1803 How the case against him unraveled", "Alabama death row inmate freed after 30 years", "Book Marks reviews of The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton, co-written with Lara Love Hardin", "The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton with Lara Love Hardin review", "Death row survivor returns to address #Bonas seniors", "Death row survivor Anthony Ray Hinton to keynote Bona's 159th Commencement", "They Couldnt Take My Soul": Anthony Ray Hinton on His Exoneration After 30 Years on Death Row, "How to Survive Death Row: Anthony Ray Hinton served 30 years in prison for murders he didn't commit. 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. 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. The lesson asks students to consider what it would be like to be convicted of a crime you didnt commit, or be a family member of someone convicted of a crime even though they are innocent. Hinton was convicted of each of the two murders and sentenced to death. CBN's ministry is made possible by the support of our CBN Partners. 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. [4], The prosecution's only evidence at the trial was a statement that ballistics tests showed four crime scene bullets matched Hinton's mother's gun, which was discovered at her house during the investigation. What are your thoughts about the death penalty after reading this article? On July 25, 1985, a restaurant in Bessemer was robbed and the manager was shot but not seriously wounded. He told a gathering of family and supporters that "the sun does shine." Hinton, 59, wiped . Innocent on death row, former inmate joins Germanna 'Community . Hinton was 29 when was convicted and sentenced to die in the state's electric chair. Why me? 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. 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. The Supreme Court is considering a challenge to laws that protect websites from lawsuits, Lesson includes resources to help you talk with your students about traumatic events, Read Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech and explore themes such as the social conditions in the U.S. that led to the Civil Rights Movement. "They Couldn't Take My Soul": Anthony Ray Hinton on His Exoneration Anthony Ray Hinton attends "True Justice: Bryan Stevenson's Fight For Equality" New York Screening at SVA Theater on June 24, 2019. Experiencing freedom after 30 years on death row | News | The Law It was there on a panel discussion, Reforming Criminal Justice in America . [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. 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.