George Stinney Jr. Exonerated of Murder 70 Years After Execution at 14
George Stinney Jr. was only 14 when he was sentenced to death and executed for allegedly assaulting two white girls; on Wednesday, he was exonerated for the crime and his brothers and sisters relieved.
"They took my brother away and I never saw my mother laugh again," Amie Ruffner, Stinney's sister, previously said. "I would love his name to be cleared."
That wish was granted on Wednesday, after South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Carmen Mullins reviewed the case and decided to overturn the ruling due to the fact that Stinney was not adequately represented by his own attorney. Mullins also stated that the boy's confession was likely coerced by authorities and there were not enough witnesses or physical evidence to convict the 14-year-old.
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"From time to time we are called to look back to examine our still-recent history and correct injustice where possible," Mullins wrote in her ruling. "I can think of no greater injustice than a violation of one's constitutional rights, which has been proven to me in this case by a preponderance of this evidence standard."
Stinney, 14, was charged with the murders of 11-year-old Betty June Binnicker and 7-year-old Mary Emma Thames. He was arrested after people in the town of Acolu said he had been picking flowers with the young girls. Stinney confessed to the crime but not until he was separated by his parents and put through an interrogation by police. Ultimately, he was found guilty of the murder after jurors deliberated for only 10 minutes.
Three months later he was executed. The 14-year-old had to sit on top of a phone book in order to be the right size for the electric chair.
His family never believed he committed the murders and his sisters even testified in 2009 that they were with him when the two girls disappeared, implying that he could not have carried out the crime. Members of the Stinney family were in court on Wednesday to hear the ruling, which comes at a crucial time in America – where unrest over the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown have led to uprisings across the country.
"It's never too late for justice," producer Ray Brown told The Grio. "There's no statute of limitations on justice. One of the things I can say about South Carolina and I can give them credit for – is that they got it right this time. During a period of time in our nation where we seem to have such a great racial divide, you have a southern state that has decided to admit they made a mistake and correct it."
Brown is currently working on a project entitled "83 Days," which examines the Stinney trial and execution.
