Anthony Ray Hinton - Pittsburgh Speakers Series 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. The refusal of state prosecutors to re-examine this case despite persuasive and reliable evidence of innocence is disappointing and troubling.. What do you do when you tell a lawyer that youre innocent and he looks at you and says, The problem with that statement. 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. Police arrest Anthony Ray Hintonthe man they believe committed three armed robberies that left two restaurant managers dead, and a third wounded. The gun belonged to his mother, but forensics experts hired by the state of Alabama claimed that it was the murder weapon. But in order for me to be free, I had no choice but to pray for those men that did this to me. So, Ray made a decision. Living the Christian life is a journey. That paid to keep him on death row for 30 years for a crime he didnt commit. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Im going to bring the best out of everybody that come in touch with me, says Ray. And you know why? I said, No. He said, You got a white man. He said to Hinton, "All of y'all blacks always say you didnt do something. Anthony Ray Hinton Equal Justice Initiative. 5. Jacobs was afraid to publish or write her tale, but Douglass was not, and her story was published in many variations. 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. Alabama tried to kill a man who never should have been on death row From Death Row to a Life of Freedom: Anthony Ray Hinton 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. 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. Rays mother, Buhlar, and his best friend, Lester Bailey, were crushed by the outcome. Ray was arrested, convicted, imprisoned, and sentenced to death for a crime he didn't commit. "To be accused of murder, itto me, it-it don't get no worse than that," says Anthony. Introductions: Anthony Ray Hinton May 2, 2019. "If God hadn't intervened and sent me his best lawyer, within two years I would . "I woke up like I do every morning I knew that my mother was cooking," Hinton recounted. 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. 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. Despite pleas by Mr. Hintons lawyers, who cited conclusions by newly enlisted specialists, the state refused for years to reconsider the evidence. The Profile Dossier: Anthony Ray Hinton, the Innocent Man on Death Row He left Notre Dame Law students with a challenge to serve justice. You dont know freedom until its taken from you, Hinton told The Washington Post on Tuesday night. Have students write a personal response summarizing the video How do you feel after seeing Hintons struggle with the criminal justice system? 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. They began, he said, with his arrest in one shooting that occurred while witnesses said he was at work miles away. The judge finally dismissed the charges after prosecutors said that scientists at the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences tested the evidence and confirmed that the crime bullets cannot be matched to the Hinton weapon. The sun does shine, he said as he was embraced by family and friends. He organized a book club that was allowed to meet in the prison's law library. 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. Number two, a white man is gonna say you shot him, whether you shot him or not, believe, me I dont care, says Ray. "[unreliable source?] 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?. After 30 years on death row, Anthony Ray Hinton was exonerated over two years ago. Birmingham, Alabama, 1985. Anthony Hinton (left) with attorney Bryan Stevenson following a hearing at which EJI argued all charges against Mr. Hinton must be dismissed immediately. The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row - Goodreads But then, soon, he realized he became the person his mother didnt raise him to be. Hinton wasnt eligible to vote in the 2016 presidential election. I mean ONLY.. Falsely Convicted Of Murder, Man Spends 30 Years In Prison Sharing All Rights Reserved, U.S. History, U.S. Government & Civics, Criminal Justice, Legal Studies. 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. Get more than a Sunday sermon. [5], While on death row, Hinton spent much of his time reading. It was 1986. They gonna say you shot him. Anthony Ray Hinton: 'I spent 30 years on death row for a crime I didn't In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and wrongfully charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. Now a Community Educator with EJI, Ray is doing what he can to bring reform to the justice system. 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. The lecture began with Hinton recounting the day of his arrest in extreme detail. 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 hated the men who did it to him. Discuss as an entire class. 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 . 30-Year Alabama Death Row Inmate Uses Computer, ATMs for First Time Hes also written a book about his journey of forgiveness and redemption, hoping his story will inspire change and healing. I said, Henry, I truly believe that you are going to Heaven, says Ray. (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. Students will look at the ways race and other factors play a role in wrongful convictions. Somehow, he's not enraged", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anthony_Ray_Hinton&oldid=1136681327, Overturned convictions in the United States, 21st-century American non-fiction writers, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking reliable references from June 2022, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from June 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 31 January 2023, at 16:12. [9], Hinton was sent to death row, where he was held in solitary confinement for nearly three decades. Hintons public defender was roundly criticized for his work hetried to appeal his case and routinely failed, according to The Guardian. 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 was released from prison in Birmingham, Ala., on Friday. 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 was convicted and sentenced to the most extreme penalty for a crime he did not do because of the color of his skin. Having spent 30 years on. 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. What challenges do you think theyd face once home after a long prison stay? [4], Hinton's initial appeals continued to be handled by his public defender, Sheldon C. Perhacs, who lost each of Hintons cases. 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. They were both convicts on death row. This lesson is part of NewsHours Searching for Justice series on criminal justice reform. [emailprotected]. 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. Subjects: U.S. History, U.S. Government & Civics, Criminal Justice, Legal Studies, Estimated time: One or two 50-minute class periods. Mr. Hinton walked out of the Jefferson County Jail a free man. Have your students watch the video and answer the questions below. "Just Mercy" opens in limited release on Christmas Day, and hits theaters everywhere on Jan. 10. 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. 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. Ray had a message, and he taught that message to his neighbor Henry, though they only had one thing in common. "30 Years in Hell": Anthony Ray Hinton delivers powerful lecture Alabama Refuses Compensation to Innocent Man Who Spent 30 Years on Anthony Ray Hinton leaves the Jefferson County jail in Birmingham, Alabama in April 2015, after nearly 30 years on death row. St. Bonaventure University in New York awarded Hinton an honorary doctorate degree in May. I hated those men that did this to me.. He has become an inspirational speaker, traveling the country and the world. But, Hinton was still convicted and sentenced to death. 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. It was there on a panel discussion, Reforming Criminal Justice in America . Police arrest Anthony Ray Hintonthe man they believe committed three armed robberies that left two restaurant managers dead, and a third wounded. 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. 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. 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. But the state court of Alabama refused to overturn his convictions or grant a new trial. What are your thoughts about the death penalty after reading this article? Since Anthony Ray Hinton was exonerated and released from death row over two years ago, Alabama lawmakers have not only refused to compensate him for the three decades he spent on death row for a crimehe did not commit, but also passed legislation changing the appeals process in death penalty cases so that innocent people like Mr. Hinton now face aneven greater risk of being executed. God made it possible for you to know. One of those people was Henry Hays, a KKK member on death row for lynching a Black teenager. We gonna have a white judge. Discussion Questions for Anthony Ray Hinton: The Sun Does Shine Wrongly convicted, he was on death row for decades. "[17], On May 19, 2019, Hinton spoke at St. Bonaventure University's commencement exercises and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Human Letters degree. 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. 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. 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. Alabamas Jim Crow-era constitution openly intended felony disenfranchisement and the biased criminal legal system that ensnared Mr. Hinton to work hand in hand to squash Black political power, she added. 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 . 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. Vanderbilt Law School hosts exonerated death row inmate Anthony Hinton 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 managers who worked at different places, and who were killed months apart that year, NBC News reports. 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. What do you notice about the racial differences of incarceration in the United States. On Tuesday, he cast a vote for president. Men indicted on separate officer assault charges. and "Y'all blacks always sticking up for each other."[who?] 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.