They stopped him with guns pointing at his face, and they shoved him up against his truck. "[9] D.A. Within weeks, McMillian was transferred to a maximum-security state prison in Atmore, Alabama. Walter McMillian was nearly put to death for a crime he did not commit One of young lawyer Stevenson's first and most incendiary cases after founding the non-profit Equal Justice Initiative was. When asked whether his change of fortune restored his faith in the justice system, McMillian simply replied, No. They threatened me for six years. McMillian, who had "no prior felony convictions",[12] was arrested by newly elected Sheriff Tom Tate, who was under pressure to find a suspect. Bryan Stevenson, McMillian's defense attorney, raised awareness on the CBS News program 60 Minutes. Walter McMillian (Photo/Equal Justice Initiative) On November 1, 1986, the body of 18-year-old part-time clerk Ronda Morrison was found under a rack of clothing at Jackson Cleaners in Monroeville, Alabama. Stevenson came across McMillians case and met with him and began working on appealing his case. Until his dying wish he did not receive justice for his wrongful conviction. McMillian already had a target on his back from his affair with Karen Kelly, and the police had that target in their sights. The racial bias against McMillian is shown in his interactions with the law . He also filed civil lawsuits for his sentencing to death row. Tate replied, "I don't give a damn what you say or what you do. His trial lasted only a day and a half. Research genealogy for Walter Mcmillian of Florida, as well as other members of the Mcmillian family, on Ancestry. According to Myers, reinstated in 1975, the majority of Alabama death row inmates have been black, although when, that the practice is occurring. Walter McMillian worked hard providing for his wife and their three children. We encourage you to research and examine these . McMillian is portrayed by Jamie Foxx and Stevenson is played by Michael B. Jordan, the "Black Panther" star who has used his considerable leverage to bring the story to the screen. [3] He died on September 11, 2013. What seemed to bring him attention is that hed had an affair with a married white woman. His conviction was wrongfully obtained, based on police coercion and perjury. Stevenson tries to hasten, rushes to the courthouse to pick up the 35-page ruling in which the judge nullifies, Before a new trial can be scheduled, Stevenson files a motion to have all of, The morning of the hearing, Stevenson tells, A camera crew came to the U.S. to interview EJI and people theyd represented, including. We can embrace our humanness, which means embracing our broken natures and the compassion that remains our best hope for healing. Teachers and parents! [6] However, Chapman did not agree that there had been a "deliberate effort to frame Mr. His story was a counter narrative to the rhetoric of fairness and reliability offered by politicians and law enforcement officials who wanted more and faster executions. Walter McMillian passed away on September 11, 2013.7. This article is informative and well written! Home; . CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE Death, Life, and Justice in a Southern Town By Pete Earley Bantam. Walter McMillian, who was born on October 27, 1941, lived in a black settlement near Monroeville where he "grew up picking cotton. Equal Justice Initiative Walter McMillian with his family after his release from prison. Before Walter McMillian was released from death row. Police were skeptical that Myers and McMillian were really accomplices, and so they conducted an experiment. After an investigation revealed that McMillians truck was converted to a low-rider six months after the crime took place, the eye-witnesses recanted their testimony and admitted to lying. It was appealed to the United States Supreme Court,[19] which ruled against McMillian, holding that a county sheriff could not be sued for monetary damages. McMillian." He had spoken to other inmates on death row that day, but Walter's case is the one that . He was allowed forty-five minutes of exercise per day and a few hours in the day room per week. "Just Mercy," a movie about the case, opens in theaters this . It was the last state in the U.S. to overturn laws banning interracial marriage but that wouldnt happen for another 14 years. The man was Russell Charley. Walter McMillian and Bryan Stevenson Equal Justice Initiative. He had no prior criminal history and was a 45-year-old self-employed logger who had done work for many people throughout the community. WRONGFUL CONVICTION 2 In Monroeville, Alabama November 1, 1986, a white woman by the name of Ronda Morrison was murdered. The visits from his family were the only thing getting him by in his time there. The National Registry of Exonerations is a project of the Newkirk Center for Science & Society at University of California Irvine, the University of Michigan Law School and Michigan State University College of Law. Skip Ancestry main menu Main Menu. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Walter McMillian photographed outside of his home surrounded by family and friends. Although there are still injustices for colored people in todays society, it Definitely has gotten better and Im glad that were working towards that. Stevenson was motivated to take McMillian's case because of the use of the judge override. A new investigation was ordered. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against McMillian, holding that a county sheriff could not be sued for money damages. Mr. McMillian at his familys home on the day of his release after six years on death row. How famous was Albert Walter McMillian? That one testimony of Hooks was all it took to convict him for the murder of Ronda Morrison. They had met as teenagers. On Feb. 23, 1993, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals reversed McMillians conviction and ordered a new trial. They knew their statements against a white mans perjured testimony didnt stand a chance.4, McMillians trial lasted two days. [9], On February 23, 1993, in Walter McMillian v. State in the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, all judges concurred that "the state suppressed exculpatory and impeachment evidence that had been requested by the defense, thus denying the appellant due process of law, requiring the reversal of his conviction and death sentence, and the remand of the case for a new trial. Equal Justice InitiativeWalter McMillian with his family after his release from prison. This left McMillian even more clueless as they didnt provide him with an explanation for how or why he was being charged with such a crime. I believe that needs to be discussed more, and I am glad you included how it had such a negative impact on McMillian and was traumatic. Part of the evidence revealed a tape where a witness confessed to having been pressured to frame McMillan. His conviction was wrongfully obtained, based on police coercion and perjury. In the last two years of his life, he couldnt enjoy the outdoors or get around much without help. Stevenson presented the newfound evidence at hearings and appeals before the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. It was too easy for the state to convict someone for that crime and then have him sentenced to death. He had lost his logging business and sold car parts until he became too ill to work. List of wrongful convictions in the United States, "Death of justice in Alabama: Brian Baldwin was condemned to the electric chair by a racist travesty", "Double Jeopardy: In Alabama, a judge can override a jury that spares a murderer from the death penalty", "Alabama Releases Man Held On Death Row for Six Years", Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, "An Alabama Sheriff, a Mystery Check and a Blogger Who Cried Foul", "Alabama frees black man on death row for 6 years - Walter McMillan", "One Lawyer's Fight For Young Blacks And 'Just Mercy', Jamie Foxx in Talks to Join Michael B. Jordan in Legal Drama 'Just Mercy', Equal Justice Initiative - Walter McMillian, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Walter_McMillian&oldid=1134436044, Overturned convictions in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 18 January 2023, at 17:56. It was clear that Myers and McMillian didnt know each other; Myers word was the sole evidence connecting McMillian to the crime. McMillian lost an appeal in 1991 and his conviction and death sentence were affirmed. This story was very sad to read, and unfortunately a clear reality in todays times with our criminal justice system in the United States. They found evidence that the States witnesses against Mr. McMillian had been coerced, including tape recordings proving that the States only eyewitness had been pressured to testify falsely at Mr. McMillians trial. With his conviction overturned, Walter McMillian was released from death row in 1993. harrowing last words of 23 executed criminals. McMillian was completely clueless as to why this was happening to him. McMillian, freed from death row in 1993, died September 11, 2013, at age 71. Walter McMillian lived an ordinary life alongside his wife Minnie McMillian and their three children. McMillian had a business of his own and was an upstanding member of his community. Walter McMillan spent six years on death row for a crime he didn't commit, but even after the Alabama resident was exonerated, he remained tormented by his years behind bars. "[10][11], On December 11, 1987, Walter McMillian and Ralph Bernard Myers, a career criminal,[13] were jointly indicted. Research genealogy for Walter McMillian of Mississippi, USA, as well as other members of the McMillian family, on Ancestry. [3] After a week of interrogation by the police, Mr. Myers accused Mr. McMillian, a pulpwood worker, as Ms. Morrison's killer. Appellant told him that "I had a lovely family to be destroyed if I . Hooks later testified at McMillians trial. Mr. McMillian was an unlikely suspect. Jamie Foxx plays Walter McMillian in the film, Just Mercy. Then, read the harrowing last words of 23 executed criminals. Enter a grandparent's name. Mr. McMillian was arrested, and in an extraordinary move, was immediately . In what The New York Times described as "an extraordinary move", McMillian "was immediately sent to Alabama's Death Row, in Holman State Prison, Atmore, which is usually reserved for convicted murderers awaiting execution. They put me on death row for six years! "[9] Myers confessed that "he knew nothing about the crime, that he was not present when the crime was committed, that he had been told what to say by certain law enforcement officers, and that he had testified falsely against McMillian because of pressure from the officers. / Walter McMillian (left) celebrates with family after Bryan Stevenson won his release from death row in 1993. Walter married Maggie Ella McMillan (born Miller) on month day 1908, at age 24 at marriage place. Stevenson next calls to the stand Clay Kast, was being held on death row as punishment for refusing to continue his testimony against, testimony while Ikner, Tate and Benson coerce him to continue. The suspect, who was from a prominent family then fled town. And this case had given him lots of fodder. Walter was an unlikely suspect in Ronda's murder. I lost my I lost my dignity.. His truck was later examined by Bill Hooks who claimed to have seen McMillians truck at the cleaners. In addition, the two witnesses who had testified that they had seen McMillians truck retracted their testimony, and admitted that they lied at trial. Walter McMillian (left) meets with his attorney, Bryan Stevenson. In front of the camera, In his funeral speech, Stevenson explains that , Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Walter was born on October 27, 1941 and passed away on Wednesday, September 11, 2013. . After, Stevenson agrees to work with the CBS program 60 Minutes to produce a story about, an innocent man in prison until the real murderer is found. In the case Walter McMillian v. State proceedings it was recorded that Myers identified Larry Ikner, and Thomas Tate, as the law enforcement officers. [5], Six years after the original trial, in an unrelated case, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals found that the prosecutor, District Attorney Theodore Pearson, and Judge Key "had practiced 'intentional racial discrimination' in jury selection. Not to mention, the way the author starts the article is genius. The controversial case received national attention beginning in the fall of 1992. They have also lived in Winter Park, FL and Lake Mary, FL. Or we can deny our brokenness, foreswear compassion, and, as a result, deny our own humanity. based on a true story, just mercy(2019) follows civil rights defense attorney bryan stevenson (michael b. jordan) as he recounts his experiences and details the case of a condemned death row prisoner, walter mcmillian (jamie foxx), whom he fought to free, as he becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and overt and It took a significant toll on his health and led to him developing early-onset dementia. In 1998, he joined other survivors at a national conference on Wrongful Convictions and the Death Penalty attended by more than 1,000 lawyers, law students, professors, and criminal justice reform advocates. Journalist Pete Earley covered it in his book Circumstantial Evidence: Death, Life, and Justice in a Southern Town (1995). Four former death row inmates have been released from prison just this year after their innocence became apparent: Kirk Bloodsworth, Federico Macias, Walter McMillian, and Gregory Wilhoit. One of his friends said they were working on that same truck that morning; the transmission was out of it. [5][14], The two witnesses who had testified that they had seen McMillian's truck retracted their testimony, and admitted that they lied at trial, committing perjury. He picked cotton with his family, went to the local colored school for a couple of years, and then went back to picking cotton at around age eight or nine. Its so clear they will believe someone that had inconsistent and false testimony over many people confirming his alibi. The nearly all-white jury convicted Mr. McMillian of capital murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment without parole. "[10], On February 23, 1993, in his fifth appeal to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, the judges ruled 50 to reverse McMillian's conviction and grant him a new trial. It was a pleasure to read this article about William McMillan. "[6] He was held there, pre-trial, for 15 months. All he could do was sit there and listen as three witnesses for the prosecution lied in their testimonies. Not at all.. He wasnt just enraged that his wife was cheating on him she was cheating on him with a black man. - celebrated for convicting Walter McMillian - refused to release Walter McMillian despite family members, church members, black pastors, and others pleading with him and offering their testimonies - brought Walter McMillian to death row (Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama) from the county jail on August 1st, 1987 Walter McMillian was married to Minnie McMillian for 25 years. How Racism, Police Incompetence, And Lying Witnesses Put Walter McMillian On Death Row For Six Years. He was arrested by Monroe County Sheriff Tom Tate and eventually charged with capital murder. I feel like they done put me on death row, too. The way the content is organized, Walters legal case serves as the central storyline of the book. Myers said he heard popping sounds, and that when he entered the building he found McMillian, with a gun, standing over the dead body of Morrison and robbing her. In addition, one of his sons had married a white woman. Darnell explains that after, at the Monroe County Courthouse, Stevensons hopes fade as Chapman expresses his unquestioning belief in, is tell the truth. Now that the retrial has been denied, Stevensons next step in, at the Tutwiler Womens Prison for the Pittman murder. The Registry provides detailed information about every known exoneration in the United States since 1989cases in which a person was wrongly convicted of a crime and later cleared of all the charges based on new evidence of innocence. Yes. As depicted in Just Mercy, Walter McMillain's case was among the first - and the most important - of attorney Bryan Stevenson's career.After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1985, nearly a year before Morrison's murder (an inaccuracy in the film's timeline), Stevenson moved first to Atlanta, Georgia and then to Montgomery, where he helped form the Alabama Capital Representation . "Michael has. Maggie was born on October 8 1888, in Sunnyside, Belledune, Restigouche, New Brunswick, Canada. We welcome new information from any source about exonerations already on our list and about cases not in the Registry that might be exonerations. Judge Robert E. Lee Key, Jr., "had McMillian await trial on death row, as if a death sentence were a foregone conclusion, and relocated the trial from a county that was forty per cent black to an overwhelmingly white one," Baldwin County, where 86 percent of the residents were white, because the case had "generated extraordinary publicity. With no leads for six months, the police focused their attention on Walter McMilllian. Her . "[6] In a prison interview in 1993, McMillian said, "The only reason I'm here is because I had been messing around with a white lady and my son married a white lady. On March 2, 1993, prosecutors dismissed charges against McMillian and he was released. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. A white man accused of crimes in another county was pressured by police and ultimately made false statements accusing Mr. McMillian of murdering Ms. Morrison. On the other hand, maybe the jury has more fault, since surely the defense attorney would had pointed out the inconsistencies of the witnesses testimonies, meaning that it cant be trusted, but the majority of them ultimately decided to turn a blind eye too. Simplified. From my cell you could smell the stench of burning flesh. Just Mercy is a 2019 American biographical legal drama film co-written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and starring Michael B. Jordan as Bryan Stevenson, Jamie Foxx as Walter McMillian, Rob Morgan, Tim Blake Nelson, Rafe Spall, and Brie Larson.It explores the work of young defense attorney Bryan Stevenson who represents poor people on death row in the South. Innocence conference at Northwestern Law School, Chicago, 1998. Walter Lester McMillian, 72, of Fancy Gap, died May 26, 2002, in Beverly Health Care-Blue Ridge. Last Updated December 25, 2019, 8:30 AM. login . After Mr. McMillians release in 1993, he worked hard to educate people about the death penalty, sharing his experiences with students, community groups, and elected officials across the country. Despite the lack of any physical evidence linking McMillian to the murder of a white clerk named Ronda Morrison, he was arrested for the crime more than six months after it took place. Each testimony had inconsistencies in their stories, but that did not matter. Bryan Stevenson and EJI received death threats. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. As Mr. Stevenson and the staff of EJI investigated the case, they discovered a ton of evidence that proved Mr. McMillian was innocent. McMillian. I feel sick about the six years that [McMillian] has spent in prison and the part I played in keeping him there. Walter was implicated in the murder of Ronda Morrison, which led to a rather unfair trial against him. The trial lasted only a day and a half. Birthplace: GA, United States. It also emerged that District Attorney Theodore Pearson "had concealed evidence proving his innocence": a witness had seen the victim alive after the time when prosecutors claimed that McMillian had killed her. 96-542 WALTER McMILLIAN, PETITIONER v. MONROE COUNTY, ALABAMA on writ of certiorari to the united states court of appeals for the eleventh circuit [ June 2, 1997 ] Chief Justice Rehnquist delivered the opinion of the Court. The trial began on August 15, 1988 and lasted only a day and a half. He was then taken to the local jail where the charge was quickly dismissed. Stevenson obtained the recording where Myers confessed to the Morrison murder, but when they flipped the tape they heard the same man complaining about confessing to a crime he and McMillian did not commit. Report an error or add more information about this case. Mr. McMillians conviction was overturned and he was released from death row. When she was five years old, her mother died of consumption, weakened from the grueling delivery of Mary's younger sister and heartbroken by the baby's untimely death. In 1988, Walter McMillian, a Black man, was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death for . on our list, Other
He claimed that McMillian's exoneration "proved the system worked. What happened to Walter McMillian in a small Alabama town in 1987 has long been pointed to as a classic example of a miscarriage of justice. The . Stevenson then visited McMillian's community and "met dozens of African-Americans who were with this condemned man at the time the crime took place 11 miles away who absolutely knew he was innocent. And he had an alibi: He was at a family fish fry the morning Ronda Morrison was murdered. Contact profile manager; View family tree; In November 1992, he told CBS News 60 Minutes that Alabama was preparing to execute the wrong. Seven months passed and every one of the polices leads went nowhere. "[6], McMillian was known in the small community for having an affair with a white woman, Karen Kelly. I appreciate that the author provided just enough detail so the reader could form an emotional connection to this story. By the 1950s, however, cotton became less profitable, and the state of Alabama helped many white farmers transition to growing and chopping timber. Like Walter, she is from the poor black community just outside of Monroeville. He is survived by four sons and daughters-in-law, Jimmy and Brenda McMillian, Roger and Carol McMillian all of Galax, Charles and Sandra McMillian of Hillsville, Michael McMillian of Fancy Gap; three brothers, Rush. He writes that Norton was uninterested in the subject of, career, but had become passionate about the work of EJI after interning one summer. His trial start on Aug. 15, 1988 and lasted only a day and a half. He then slipped him a note, supposedly written by Karen Kelly, but McMillian looked confused and threw the note away. McMillian and his wife, Minnie, met when when they were teenagers and married after she became pregnant in 1962. Morrison, who was white, had been bludgeoned, strangled and shot three times. information about the Registry, Perjury or False Accusation, Official Misconduct. Kellys husband called McMillian to testify in their divorce proceedings. I have survived these six long years, but I am a different man. He explained the horror of seeing seven other men executed during his time at Alabamas Holman Prison: I experienced the executions with the greatest pain and with enormous fear about whether this would happen to me. They convicted McMillian of first-degree murder. In Alabama, Monroeville, 1986, Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), a member of Monroevile's Black community and owner of a tree felling company, was arrested for the murder of 18-year-old girl Ronda Morrison at the local cleaners. Walter McMillian died in 2013: he was 71-years-old. 1 Colonization and Settlement (1500-1763), 2 Revolution and Early Republic (1754-1801), 4 Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877), 5 Emergence of Modern America (1877-1929), 4 Late Middle Ages-Renaissance-Reformation Europe (1300-1648), 3 Post-Classical History (600 CE-1492 CE), HS 1302 United States History since 1877, SP 3392 Language Variation and Dialectology of Spanish, Michael B. Ross, The Execution of Innocence,, College of Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences. The . When Minnie became pregnant in 1962, they were married. Walter "Johnny D." McMillian (October 27, 1941 September 11, 2013)[1] was a pulpwood worker from Monroeville, Alabama, who was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death. EP.32 The case of Walter McMillian-New way of looking at the death penalty Walter "Johnny D." McMillian (October 27, 1941 - September 11, 2013)[1] was an African-American pulpwood worker from Monroeville, Alabama, who was wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death. He was subjected to graphic questions about the nature of his and Kellys relationship, and he left the courtroom feeling uneasy. In 1986, an 18-year-old white woman named Ronda Morrison was murdered in downtown Monroeville, Alabama. McMillian (Jamie Foxx) was an African-American pulpwood worker from Monroeville, Alabama, who was wrongfully convicted of the murder of 18-year-old Ronda Morrison, a white dry-cleaning clerk. . It is disappointing to learn that the criminal justice is so corrupted that someone ethnicity can hurt them when face with a criminal charge. The McMillian family: Walter McMillian had a family of believers. McMillian recalls his time there as a terrible experience. About $35 was missing. [10][11], The 2019 film Just Mercy dramatizes McMillian's case, and stars Jamie Foxx as McMillian and Michael B. Jordan as Bryan Stevenson, with direction by Destin Daniel Cretton, based on Stevenson's 2014 book Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.[20]. He had a large, tight-knit family and several children with his wife. I'm going to put twelve people on a jury who are going to find your goddamn black ass guilty. Skip Ancestry main menu Main . Despite having various witnesses on his side, it seemed useless. Walter is related to Jane Marie Price and Jaline Renae McMillan as well as 3 additional people. He first encountered Walter while he was on death row (20). Walter often sought better work to support his family. Another 267 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1775, 1790, 1452, 1454, 1540, 1555, 1670, 1753, 1670, 1745 and 1745 are included under the topic Early McMillan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Our death penalty system treats you better if youre rich and guilty than if youre poor and innocent. "[13][5] There was no physical evidence implicating McMillian. Plus, McMillian didnt fit the profile of a murderer: He had no prior felony convictions, just one misdemeanor for getting dragged into a bar fight years earlier. Sentimentality about Lees story grew even as the harder truths of the book took no roots. Grandfather. Myers already pleaded guilty as an accomplice in Morrisons murder and received a 30-year prison sentence avoiding a possible death sentence for the Pittman murder. Before you check out Jamie Foxx in the new film Just Mercy, learn the true story of Walter McMillian, an Alabama man wrongfully convicted for a brutal murder who spent six years on death row. Eventually, Myers gave a taped confession in which he said that he drove McMillian to the scene of the crime and that McMillian went into the building alone. American wrongly convicted of murder (19412013), According to the 1993 appeal, Judge R.E.L. When he visited McMillian in prison,[10][16][Notes 4][17] McMillian maintained his innocence. "[6] Stevenson disagreed, telling the court that "it was far too easy to convict this wrongly accused man for murder and send him to death row for something he didn't do and much too hard to win his freedom after proving his innocence. The appellant, Walter McMillian, was jointly indicted with Ralph Bernard Myers in a two-count indictment on December 11, 1987, in Monroe County, for the offense of murder made capital because it was committed during a robbery in the first degree, a violation of 13A-5-40(a)(2), Code of Alabama 1975. A very public divorce between this woman and her husband pulled Mr. McMillian into the limelight and he soon went from someone having an interracial affair to someone thought to be capable of murder. But the jury 11 white members and one black member took the prosecutions word. Aside from having a misdemeanor charge from a barroom fight, he had a clean record and no other charges to his name. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against McMillian in a civil lawsuit filed against state and local officials in Alabama, citing that a county sheriff cant be sued for money damages. He was a family friend, and the rumor was that hed been lynched for dating a white woman. October 10, 1995. The best example of racial bias and prejudice is Walter McMillian's case because it shows both extreme racial biases and extreme racial prejudices against McMillian because of the color of his skin. The trial began on August 15, 1988. Chestnut and Bruce Boynton, later testified that the state withheld evidence that proved his innocence. Walter McMillian was sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. On February 23, 1993, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals reversed McMillians conviction and ordered a new trial. When Walter McMillian was a 12-year-old black boy in Monroe County, Alabama where Harper Lee set To Kill a Mockingbird a bullet-riddled black man was found hanging from a tree in nearby Vredenburgh. Sponsored by Ancestry. [3] A journalist described him as a "black pulpwood worker". Ariana Brockington. Myers heard popping sounds, and he found McMillian standing over the victim with a gun in his hand. From 1990 to 1993, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals turned down four appeals. Sexual or romantic relationships between blacks and whites were still very much taboo, especially out in the land of forests and plantations. Walter McMillian (left) and Bryan Stevenson after McMillians conviction was overturned in 1993. Starting with, ordinary life lets the reader know that this could happen to anyone of color. Walter McMillian lived an ordinary life alongside his wife Minnie McMillian and their three children. 2. The fact that the testimonial of the witnesses that saw McMillian near the cleaners the morning of the murder didnt even add up, and nobody seemed to care is upsetting. As Bryan Stevenson, McMillians future lawyer, wrote in his memoir Just Mercy, Tree work is notoriously demanding and dangerous. "[9][Notes 6][3][12] In pursuing those claims, the attorneys obtained the original recording of Myers' confession. But when the word got out about their affair, he grew worried. It was the laughter of liberation. DuBois's short story "Of the Coming of John", which he discusses on page 100-101. The police wouldnt buy it, and so Myers said he had information on the Morrison case. Jamie Foxx portrays McMillian and Michael B. Jordan stars as Stevenson. His loving friends and family spoke very highly of him and of everything he did for his community.1, On November 1, 1986 in Monroeville, Alabama, shocking news struck the town. On August 17, 1988, the jury of eleven whites and one African American found McMillian "guilty of the capital offense charged in the indictment"[9] and recommended a life sentence, based on the testimony of four state's informants found by the prosecution: Ralph Myers,[9] a career criminal; Bill Hooks, Jr.; Joe Hightower;[9] and one other. And thats how his affair with a white woman 18 years his junior became the talk of the town. I think everybody needs to understand what happened because what happened today could happen tomorrow if we dont learn some lessons from this, said Stevenson on the day McMillians charges were dismissed. For months, the police could not solve this case. At the time of her murder, Walter McMillian was at a church fish fry, where he was seen by dozens of witnesses, one of whom was a police officer.[10][11]. On November 1, 1986, the body of 18-year-old part-time clerk Ronda Morrison was found under a rack of clothing at Jackson Cleaners in Monroeville, Alabama. McMillian was looking at two options for his sentence: death by electrocution, or life in prison. McMillan whose story is depicted in the movie "Just Mercy" premiering Christmas Day 2019 never got the happy ending he deserved after his release from prison in 1993. McMillian filed a civil lawsuit against state and local officials, which went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Just Mercy tells the story of EJI's clients, from Walter McMillian and Anthony Ray Hinton who were exonerated from Alabama's death row to Joe Sullivan and Ian Manuel who won release after being sentenced to die in prison for nonhomicide crimes in Florida when they were just 13 years old. The Registry also maintains a more limited database of known exonerations prior to 1989. While McMillian did receive an undisclosed amount of compensation, it was less than he had hoped for. The 45-year-old self-employed logger had worked for several people in the community and had no criminal history. EJI presented this dramatic new evidence but it took six years of hearings and appeals before the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals finally ruled that Mr. McMillians conviction was unconstitutional. It was pointed out that Monroeville, Alabama, was "best known as the home of Harper Lee, whose To Kill a Mockingbird told a painful story of race and justice in the small-town Jim Crow South. McMillian was accused of murdering an 18-year-old girl and was put on death row. What do we tell these children about how to stay out of harms way when you can be at your own house, minding your own business, surrounded by your entire family, and they still put some murder on you that you aint do and send you to death row? McMillian clearly recalled the moment the news got to them. Stevenson recounts the story that Ralph Myers gave to police. Police arrested McMillian (known to some friends as "Johnny D"), a black man, in 1987 and charged him with murdering an 18-year-old white woman named Ronda Morrison at a Monroeville, Alabama dry . A Life on Both Sides of the Ocean Mary McMillan in her early twenties Mary McMillan was born in Boston in 1880, just a few years after her parents emigrated from Scotland. McMillian had explained to Sheriff Tate shortly after his arrest that he was at the fish fry on the morning of November 1. In 1987 Walter McMillian (played by Foxx) was convicted of killing a white woman who was shot multiple times in the back at a dry cleaners. Things would be fine, he thought, as long as everything was kept secret. When Chestnut and Boynton filed the standard motion to have, after Herberts execution, Stevenson visits death row to catch up with several new clients, including, an entire community hidden away in the woods. When Stevenson first enters the trailer of, invested their hopes in him, and he sees a parallel in the anguish felt by, Stevenson describes his growing familiarity with, because they were working together on the morning of Rondas death. They tortured me with the promise of execution for six years. The jury then found McMillian guilty despite that there was no physical evidence that linked him to the crime. Walter McMillian. The smell of someone you know burning to death is the most painful and nauseating experience on this earth. "[Notes 3][4], On September 19, 1988, Judge Robert E. Lee Key, Jr., overruled the jury's recommendation of a life sentence and imposed the death penalty. Instant downloads of all 1682 LitChart PDFs With few ordinary comforts in his life, the attention of women was something Walter did not easily resist.. Judge Key warns Stevenson not to take on the case of, death row inmates. Walter with friends and Stevenson The McMillian family was known to be a "large, tight-knit family" made up Walter, his wife, Minnie, and five children. The author named chapter five after W.E.B. Little did he know that the murder of Ronda Morrison would impact his life in a major way later on.2, On June 7, 1987 at around 11:00 a.m, McMillian was peacefully driving down Route 84. App.1991). After six months, the police had a possible person of interest. He died on September 11, 2013. But the overwhelming evidence of innocence ultimately forced the State to agree to drop the charges. Throughout the case, Stevenson battles political and legal maneuverings, as well as overt and institutional racism, all in the name of fighting for . This story is incredibly heartbreaking and sadly not very uncommon. [7][14], McMillian's "appellate lawyers discovered that prosecutors had withheld evidence and that the state's star witnesses had lied. McMillian, was charged with first degree murder, the murder of a very well known white girl in the community. An uncle of the murder victim, in fact, came by and told them she was killed, witnesses said. [9], Following his own trial and sentencing, Ralph Bernard Myers told McMillian's trial counsel that the testimony he gave "against McMillian was false. Birthdate: estimated between 1837 and 1897. Walter McMillian (1941 - 2013) . The only reason Im here is because I had been messing around with a white lady, he told the New York Times from death row. Mr. McMillian was with his family 11 miles away from the dry cleaning store where Ms. Morrison was murdered at the time of the crime. Mr. McMillians experience on death row was traumatic. . Testimony of the trial lasted a day and a half. In Alabama, elected trial judges were authorized to override a jurys life verdict and impose the death penalty. There was a tragic murder of eighteen-year-old Ronda Morrison. Again, great work! The community heard about the tragedy as many had gathered for a fish-fry at McMillans home to raise money for their local church. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." There are numerous examples of this shown throughout the book. . Walter " Johnny D. " McMillian (October 27, 1941 - September 11, 2013) [1] was a pulpwood worker from Monroeville, Alabama, who was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death. During their first year together, they almost starved, with Walter working as a field hand for $14 per week. After he had decided to take the appeal, he got a phone call from Judge Key discouraging Stevenson from taking the case. Research the McMillian family Start your family tree now. During the closing argument of the trial, the state emphasized the victim's beauty and her life, as well as the brutality of her murder. Family History Search. He knew it, his family knew it, and his friends knew it. I have plenty of friends who are sentenced 10 or 20 years in jail and they feel doomed as soon as the judge slams the gavel. Early History of the McMillan family. McMillian was convicted by a jury of eleven whites and one African American. He implicated not just himself, but McMillian as well. In November 1988, 28-year-old attorney Bryan Stevenson, a Harvard Law School and Harvard School of Government graduate, who was the director of the newly formed Alabama Capital Representation Resource Center in Montgomery, took on the task of appealing the case. The shift largely benefited white landowners and left most blacks unemployed. He filed civil lawsuits against state and local officials for his wrongful conviction. Stevenson was in his 20s and eager to take on the case, even though the unfortunately named judge discouraged him from doing so. "[6], The story was featured in a 1995 book entitled Circumstantial Evidence: Death, Life, and Justice in a Southern Town by former Washington Post journalist Pete Earley. "[6][Notes 1][5] McMillian was represented by attorney J. L. Chestnut. The Morrison case had generated considerable publicity in Monroe County, which was 40 percent black, and so Walter McMillians trial was moved down south to Baldwin County which was 86 percent white. Since then, the EJI has made some landmark advances in leveling . Another time journalism helped bring justice into worldview was in the Walter McMillian case. Genealogy for Walter Miles McMillian (1850 - 1922) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. He met Karen Kelly, who was 25 and unhappily married, at the Waffle House where he ate breakfast. Decades later, McMillian found himself the object of one pretty white womans flirtation. But we keep fighting.. We have a choice. They had 2 children: Isabella Mae McMillan and one other child. In his police interview, he made up all sorts of wild stories, like how the sheriff of a nearby county murdered Pittman. Known to his friends and family as Johnny D, Mr. McMillian spent 15 harrowing and tortuous months on Alabamas death row before trial. he sees the report about EJI for the first time. There was no evidence proving Walter McMillians guilt, and a mountain of evidence proving his innocence and the polices and prosecutions racist complicity in his conviction. The reveal of the witness being pressured to testify proves that the laws that help prevent these things dont always work. Walter McMillian lived an ordinary life alongside his wife Minnie McMillian and their three children. Subsequently, McMillian settled with other officials for an undisclosed amount. [6] McMillian's conviction and death sentence were affirmed on appeal in 1991 in McMillian v. State, 594 So. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. I lost my reputation. It was too hard in light of the evidence of his innocence to show this court that he should never have been here in the first place.. The author did a great job about explaining the life of Mr. McMillians and the troubles he experienced due to the fact of being wrongly convicted for a crime he didnt commit. At the trial, Hooks kept his testimony and claimed to have seen the truck near the Jackson Cleaners at the time of Ronda Morrisons murder.3, McMillian was innocent. Stevenson's uncle died in prison . Born on Oct. 27, 1941, McMillian grew up in one of several poor black settlements outside Monroeville. A 60 Minutes segment and other national press coverage about his case led to other exonerations. Stevenson opens chapter five with over a page of direct quotations from McMillian's sister and other family members. The trauma Mr. McMillian experienced led to early-onset dementia. When he asked for an explanation, they loudly and angrily said that he was being charged with sodomy for assaulting a man. "[9] McMillian's attorneys from the Equal Justice Initiative filed a petition for a new trial alleging various constitutional violations, including "that a key state witness had recanted his testimony, that the appellant's conviction had been obtained by perjured testimony, and that the evidence of perjury was newly discovered." Select this result to view Walter McMillian's phone number, address, and more. EJI filed civil rights lawsuits against state and local officials for incarcerating Mr. McMillian on death row before his trial in violation of his rights. In 1992, Ed Bradley reported that the wrong man might have been sitting on Alabama's death row. HBOWalter McMillian (left) meets with his attorney, Bryan Stevenson. They brought him to a store where McMillian and a few other black men were shopping, but Myers couldnt tell which one was his supposed partner-in-crime; he had to ask the stores manager to identify him. She supports and cares for her five children during Walter's incarceration. He became uncharacteristically emotional. industry in its place. For the most accurate data, please search on the Detailed View page. Suddenly, State Troopers, city cars, sheriffs, and deputies surrounded his car. Alabama Releases Man Held on Death Row for Six Years, Walter McMillian's Statement to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Wrongfully Convicted Man Recalls Death Row, 122 Commerce Street Montgomery, AL 36104 The website is updated daily, frequently with exonerations that occurred in the past. Clients. [6][7][8] Both McMillian and the attorney he had in 1987, J. L. Chestnut, "contended that Mr. McMillian's relationships alone had made him a suspect. Myers had pled guilty as a conspirator in the murder and received a 30-year prison term. Advertisement. He "did not have a history of violence. I get that Morrison was at a disadvantage when faced against white men for that exact reason, but if the testimonies were so obviously inconsistent, they should have known better. McMillian's case served as a catalyst for Alabama's compensation statute, which was passed in 2001. We would often talk about situations and people connected to the case that, for all the damage they had caused, had still made us laugh at their absurdity. I believe there are other people under sentence of death who like me are not guilty.. Police, prosecutors, and judges are immune from judgments that require them to make payments to people victimized by abuse of authority. We invite you to learn more about the clients featured in the book below. He has won all but one of the five cases he's argued at the Court. 2d 1289 (Ala.Cr.App.1992) denied the claims by McMillian's attorneys. Stevenson finishes by calling on, of the other witness testimonies. [7], In the fall of 1992, McMillian's case received national attention in the CBS News program 60 Minutes. Walter "Johnny D." McMillian (October 27, 1941 - September 11, 2013) was an African American pulpwood worker from Monroeville, Alabama, who was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death. McMillian later developed dementia and died in 2013, but his name lives on at the center of the criminal justice reform movement. They separate after Walter's release, but she remains involved in his life and in his care during his long-term illness. (334) 269-1803 Support The National Registry of Exonerations , The Contribution of Forensic and Expert Evidence to DNA Exoneration Cases, Race and Wrongful Convictions in the United States, 2022, Government Misconduct and Convicting the Innocent, Witness Recantations: Preliminary Findings, May 2013, Exonerations in the United States: 1989 - 2012, Tell us about an Exoneration that we missed. It was too easy for one person to come into court and frame a man for a murder he didnt commit. [15], Since then, the frequency of the judge override in Alabama has come under scrutiny: "Nearly seventy Alabama judges have single-handedly ordered an inmate's execution, and collectively they have done so more than a hundred times. Equal Justice InitiativeWalter McMillian spent six years on Alabamas death row for a murder he didnt commit. Walter McMillian was among the first exonerees from death row in the modern era. Following his death penalty sentence, Stevenson took. As a result, there have been no answers in Ronda Morrison's murder. "[5] This practice, called judicial override, allows "elected trial judges to override jury verdicts of life and impose death sentences." One of the biggest worries is whether youll get the kind of legal assistance you need to save you from execution, he testified. He had about half a dozen of his friends and family members testifying that they were with him at the time of the crime. .com is the online source for current local and national obituary news and a supportive community where friends and family can come together during times of loss and grieving to honor the memories of their loved ones with lasting personal tributes. I am deeply troubled by the way the criminal system treated me and the difficulty I had in proving my innocence, he told the committee. And it was too hard in light of the evidence of his innocence to show this court that he should never have been here in the first place.. North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000. [9][5] She had been shot numerous times from behind. This story is just one of the many injustices colored people must experience. Walter McMillian. Aside from having a misdemeanor charge from a barroom fight, he had a clean record and no other charges to his name. The upcoming film, Just Mercy, focuses on a petition for a new trial led by Walter McMillians lawyer, Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative. As a black man living in southern Alabama, McMillian didnt stand a chance. (including. There was a new county sheriff, and people were whispering about his incompetence. Walter McMillian is in the back row. In 1988, Bryan Stevenson met Walter McMillian and began working to appeal his conviction and death sentence. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Police could not solve the crime. The jury recommended a life in prison, but judge Robert E. Lee Key, Jr. overrode their recommendation and imposed the death penalty. Bryan Stevenson discusses the outrageous miscarriage of justice in the case of Walter McMillian. A week later, prosecutors dismissed the charges. [9] McMillian was charged with a two-count indictment "for the offense of murder made capital because it was committed during a robbery in the first degree", and the jury recommended a life sentence. Stevenson, now 60, continues his social justice work in Alabama. On March 3, 1993, the County District Attorney finally dismissed the charges. Those six years on death row traumatized McMillian in many unthinkable ways. The Alabama Bureau of Investigation ultimately confirmed the evidence uncovered by EJI and determined that Mr. McMillian was innocent, but prosecutors still wavered on whether they would join the motion filed by EJI to dismiss all charges against Mr. McMillian. Walters case complicated the debate in very graphic ways. They had three children and lived in a dilapidated house in Repton, about 10 miles south of Monroeville. Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures. As a gregarious guy who owned his own business rare for a black man in the area McMillian was a bit of a local celebrity. His sole criminal record was a suspended sentence for a bar fight. ", According to David Rose in his 1999 article in. McMillian and his wife, Minnie, met when when they were teenagers and married after she became pregnant in 1962. Albert Walter McMillian. On April 1, 1993, Mr. McMillian spoke to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee about the urgent need to end the death penalty. All NRE reports represent a moment in time. As a result, Alabama passed its 2001 compensation statute. 416 pp. Aside from having a misdemeanor charge from a barroom fight, he had a clean record and no other charges to his name. Husband of Libbie Wood. $23.95. She is resilient, patient, intelligent and hospitable. We in the African American community have always known that the criminal justice system is a threat, that it will take people who are innocent or wrongly convicted and it will treat people unfairly, Stevenson said in an interview with Essence magazine. The jury recommended a life sentence, but on September 19, 1988, the judge overrode the jurys recommendation and imposed the death penalty. About $35 was missing. Equal Justice Initiative With his conviction overturned, Walter McMillian was released from death row in 1993. Appellant, Walter McMillian, was jointly indicted with Ralph Myers, in a two-count indictment, on December 11, 1987, in Monroe County, for the capital offense of murder committed during a robbery in the first degree, in violation of 13A-5-40(a)(2), Code of Alabama 1975. . Were going to keep all you niggers from running around with these white girls. On the night Walter McMillian, a black woodcutter in rural Alabama, was . We have all hurt someone and have been hurt. 53 records for Walter Mcmillian. They had three children and lived in a dilapidated house in Repton, about 10 miles south of Monroeville. It is also so sad to think about the families of those who are wronged by the justice system and to imagine what they themselves are going through. His conviction was wrongfully obtained, based on police coercion and perjury. Walter McMillian, left, and Bryan Stevenson, right (Photo from the Equal Justice Initiative) In 1986, an 18-year-old White woman named Ronda Morrison was murdered at Jackson Cleaners in Monroeville, Alabama. McMillian had a business of his own and was an upstanding member of his community. "[18], From 1990 to 1993, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals turned down four appeals. Walter McMillian, who is Black, was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of a young white woman who worked as a clerk in a dry cleaning store in Monroeville, Alabama. According to NYU (where he's an Aronson Family Professor of Criminal Justice), he started representing death row inmates from the Deep South in 1985, and founded the nonprofit law organization Equal Justice Initiative in 1989. [emailprotected], Mr. McMillians testimony specifically addressed the failure to provide adequate legal help to people in prison and on death row. "[5] It emerged that Sheriff Tate and investigators with the Monroe County D.A. He suffered mentally and physically to the point where he developed early on-set dementia. I think this article not only spreads awareness on systematic racism and wrongful convictions, but it also starts a conversation on the inhumane conditions of prisons. Walters sense of humor hadnt failed him despite his six years on death row. -Graham S. The timeline below shows where the character Walter McMillian appears in, Stevenson explains that he will focus on the story of, general, Stevenson is amused. Just one grandparent can lead you to many discoveries. Bryan Stevenson took on Mr. McMillians case in postconviction. McMillian claims innocence, but in 1988 he is convicted by a jury of young Morrison's murder. The case had generated an unusual amount of media coverage. Amazon Removes Christmas Products Featuring Images Of Auschwitz After Online Blowback, Toxic Foam Washes Up On Indian Beach And People Keep Taking Selfies In It, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Aside from having a misdemeanor charge from a barroom fight, he had a clean record and no other charges to his name. Key had retired by 1993, During the 1993 appeal it was revealed that, "Two mechanics, Willie Nettles and Clay Kast, testified that they had modified the appellant's truck to convert it to a low-rider and that they did not do this work until several months after the commission of the crime at Jackson Cleaners. The crime sent shock waves of fear and anger through the small community. Born to a poor black family outside of Monroeville, Alabama, Walter became a successful small businessman as an adult. Either way, its a shame that not only our officers, but our prosecutors, which I believe work closely with the police department (at least more than defense attorneys), have also been shown to be racially biased. The case outlines the basic premise of frustrated local law enforcement, the DA of Monroe County, needed to, for lack of a better term, save his ass. [7][Notes 7], McMillian later developed dementia, believed to have been brought on by the trauma of imprisonment. us about an exoneration that we may have missed, Correct an error or add information about an exoneration
Further investigation revealed that McMillians truck had only been converted to a low-rider six months after the crime took place, and that prosecutors had concealed information about a witness who had seen the victim alive after the time the prosecutors claimed that McMillian had killed her. 's office and the Alabama Bureau of Investigation (ABI) had "pressured [Myers] into lying about Mr. Grandmother . Walter McMillian with his family after his release from prison. His case drew public attention to wrongful convictions, and many more people were exonerated in the years after his release. An effort to hold the sheriff accountable went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the Court ruled that Sheriff Tate was protected from liability based on immunity laws. McMillian presented six alibi witnesses who testified that they had been with him at a family fish fry the entire day. McMillian was shocked and absolutely saddened to hear about it. After six months with no leads or suspects, their attention focused on Walter McMillian. I have plenty of friends who are sentenced 10 or 20 years in jail and they feel doomed as soon as the judge slams the gavel. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Southern Prisoners Defense Committee (SPDC), Voting Rights Protests of 1965 (Selma-to-Montgomery Marches). They were close their community and church. We all share the condition of brokenness, even if our brokenness is not equivalent [] Our shared vulnerability and imperfection nurtures and sustains our capacity for compassion. There were dozens of Black people who could testify to his innocence but they were ignored. [9], Further investigation revealed that McMillian's truck, supposedly seen by witnesses at the scene of the crime, had not been converted to a "low-rider" until six months after the crime took place. Years later when the case settled, the compensation was much less than had been hoped. His conviction was wrong / Bryan Stevenson speaks with reporters after oral argument in the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012. One of the many Alabama cases assigned to him is that of. The following week, on March 2, Circuit Court Judge Pamela W. Baschab ruled on the motion, dismissing all charges against McMillian. This was Alabama in 1986. McMillian had a business of his own and was an upstanding member of his community. Morrison, who was white, had been bludgeoned, strangled and shot three times. For many death row inmates, it takes years to get the kind of legal representation and investigation necessary to prove your innocence., Learn more about Walter McMillian by reading "Just Mercy". [13][5] Two of the witnesses claimed to have seen McMillian's "low-rider" truck outside the dry cleaner's around the time that the crime occurred. TRIAL: Defense asked for the trial to be moved from Monroe County to Baldwin County in Alabama due to the publicity. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. The prosecution presented their three witnesses: Myers and the two men who said they saw McMillians low-rider truck outside the dry cleaners on the morning of the murder. They lived in a sharecropper's shack. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Walter had 3 siblings: Isabelle Page (born Mcmillan) and 2 other siblings. After listening to it, they flipped the tape over and discovered a recorded conversation in which Myers complained bitterly that he was being forced to implicate McMillian, whom he did not know, for a crime neither of them had any role in. Initiative with his attorney, raised awareness on the night Walter McMillian had explained to sheriff Tate and charged. Over a page of direct quotations from McMillian & # x27 ; s case is the one that there... 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