Police arrest Anthony Ray Hintonthe man they believe committed three armed robberies that left two restaurant managers dead, and a third wounded. What were the charges brought against Hinton? . The lecture began with Hinton recounting the day of his arrest in extreme detail. 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. [4] Hinton was portrayed by O'Shea Jackson Jr. in the 2019 film Just Mercy. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! He was wrongfully convicted of two murders and served nearly three decades in jail before being released in 2015. 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. [11] Hinton's original defense lawyer had wrongly thought he had only $1,000 available to hire a ballistics expert to rebut the states case on evidence. 07.31.17. Anthony Ray Hinton. On July 31, 1985, the police arrested Anthony Ray Hinton for murder. The civil engineer testified that the ballistics test did not link the gun authorities found to either of the shootings. They began, he said, with his arrest in one shooting that occurred while witnesses said he was at work miles away. In the interview, Hinton described how issues of race permeated his case. 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. 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. Hear Marc Meros reflection on life inside the ring, what knocked him out and A woman is diagnosed with cancer and its spreading quickly. [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. 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 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. 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. (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. After 30 years in custody for crimes he did not commit, Mr. Hintons release is bittersweet. 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. Explore Anthony Ray Hinton Wiki Age, Height, Biography as Wikipedia, Wife, Family relation. [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. 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.. 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. Then Anthony spent the first three years in the prison full of bitterness in his heart. Anthony Ray Hinton was released from prison in Birmingham, Ala., on Friday. He has also guest lectured at multiple universities and travels the country giving professional development on comics as engaging literature. 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. And number five, youre gonna have an all-white jury.. Still, even though Stevenson had new ballistics tests performed on Hintons behalf, the Alabama courts denied the appeal, after taking two years to deliberate. Error: There was an internal error submitting your form. Then, another crushing setback. 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. "[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. Love your enemy. The only way that we will ever conquer hate is love.. In the first two robberies, the managers were killed and there were no witnesses or physical evidence . If you think there is no reason for another book about a grave miscarriage of American justice, think again. 24, 2019, 2:11 p.m. Anthony Ray Hinton, who spent nearly 30 years on Alabama's death row, was freed this morning after prosecutors told a judge they won't re-try him for the 1985 . 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 . 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. A Christian man was falsely convicted of murder for 30 years, but he spent his time sharing Jesus inside the cells. Anthony Ray Hinton spoke at Allegheny College on Thursday, Sept. 20. . It took almost a decade for Mr. Hinton and his lawyers to recruit a panel of experts, including a former F.B.I. Introductions: Anthony Ray Hinton May 2, 2019. Anthony Ray Hinton did not sleep very well the night before Tuesdays presidential election. Get daily or weekly highlights from The 700 Club delivered to your inbox. 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. The bill never even made it out of committee. See Innocence and Race. When Hinton was done eating, about half past six, he drove to the polling location where he would cast his first vote in a presidential election since he was released from Alabamas death row. Discuss as an entire class. 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. 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. The Lost Books Of The Bible: Should We Accept Or Reject? When life is unjust, turn your pain into purpose. 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. Mr. Hinton thanked his supporters and legal team. Moving forward, he chose to pray for those men who set him up instead. He was convicted because hes poor, Mr. Stevenson said. -- Anthony Ray Hinton spent more than half his life on death row in southern Alabama. Anthony hated the men who did it to him. Having spent 30 years on Alabama's death row as an innocent man, the now-freed 64-year-old knows about confinement. This is my Yes to Papa God. I am passionate in sharing Gods love to the world through the skills and talents God has blessed me with. 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. 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. Convicted, he was sentenced to death and held in solitary confinement on Alabamas death row for 28 years, before being exonerated. 1. However, the jury disregarded his testimony because of his poor eyesight and inability to use the microscope correctly. Perhacs hired a civil engineer who had impaired vision and didnt have any forensic experience. [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. Copyright 2022 GOD TV, Simco Media LLC. Deputies escort Mr. Hinton in the courthouse during his trial. Smyth maintains a comprehensive website and blog on all things comics in education at TeachingWithComics.com. [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. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. This morning, he arrived at the polls and exercised his right to vote. Ive always felt that I have the Supreme Lawyer, says Ray. 0. 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. In his book, The Awe of God, pastor and author, John Bevere describes the many ways having a genuine and holy fear of God enhances the good in one A man who makes a vow to the LORD or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. But last year, the Supreme Court said that Mr. Hintons defense had been unacceptable, setting up a new trial and essentially forcing prosecutors to review the evidence for a case in which they acknowledged the forensic studies were paramount. 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 mug shot. In this lesson, students meet Anthony Ray Hinton, one of hundreds of people who were exonerated, or had charges against him dropped after hed been convicted and sent to prison. (You will need to make a copy of the document to edit it.). Understanding The Holy Of Holies Inside The Temple. We are here to help and encourage you! 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). Anthony Ray, then a 29-year-old warehouseman, was mowing his mum's lawn when his life was torn apart in July 1985. The court was unable to affirm the forensic evidence of a gun, which was the only evidence in the first trial. But Hinton was ultimately convicted due to a gun that was discovered in his mothers home, where he lived. 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. A polygraph test given by police exonerated him, but the judge (now-retired Circuit Judge James Garrett) refused to admit it at trial. I dont think the society nor the men that did this to me realized what they took from me, says Ray. The engineer said that there wasnt any connection between the weapon and the shooting. As for Ray, the courts would continue to block his appeals for a retrial. But it would be a single piece of evidence that held the key to proving Rays innocence. When he was arrested the police officer told him that he would have a white judge, a white jury and a white man was going to testify that Mr. Hinton killed a man. . After 28 years of living in a cell that was five . 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. He has spoken out against the death penalty, calling it a "form of lynching. Having spent 30 years on. State prosecutors never questioned the new findings but nonetheless refused to re-examine the case or concede error. Mar 27, 2019 . Death Row Exonoree Wednesday, April 12, 2023 8pm. St. Bonaventure University in New York awarded Hinton an honorary doctorate degree in May. And to show him what real love felt like and real love had no color. One of those people was Henry Hays, a KKK member on death row for lynching a Black teenager. 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. Anthony Ray Hinton leaves the Jefferson County jail in Birmingham, Alabama in April 2015, after nearly 30 years on death row. Our tax dollars that paid for the judge and the prosecutor that prosecuted him. Number two, a white is gonna say you shot him whether you shot him or not.. three, youre going to have a white prosecutor. 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. And Henry said, Well, you know, Ray, Ive been reading the Bible. 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. 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. He has one message for everyone who will listen: Our system is broken, and its time to put a stop to the death penalty. See her moment of surrender, and the miracle of life. It was there on a panel discussion, Reforming Criminal Justice in America . 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. All the while, Mr. Hinton remained at a prison in south Alabama, awaiting his execution. 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. Anthony Ray Hinton (born June 1, 1956) is an American man who was wrongly convicted of the 1985 murders of two fast food restaurant managers in Birmingham, Alabama, sentenced to death, and held on the state's death row for 28 years.