STORY: U.S. man Anthony Ray Hinton walks free after 30 years on death row for 1985 double murder," published by ABC News on April 4, 2015.
GIST: "An Alabama man who spent 30 years on death row for
crimes he did not commit has walked free from court after his conviction
for a 1985 double murder was overturned because of insufficient
evidence. Anthony Ray Hinton, 58, emerged from Jefferson County
Courthouse to cheers from well-wishers before being embraced by tearful
friends and relatives, a day after a judge dismissed all charges against
him. "Sun do shine," an emotional Mr Hinton said moments after his release. "They had every intention of executing me for something I didn't do ... I shouldn't have sat on death row for 30 years." Mr
Hinton was released after a key piece of ballistics evidence used
against him in his December 1986 trial for two separate murders during
robberies in Birmingham was discredited. State technicians said bullets recovered from the crime scene were fired from a gun later recovered from Mr Hinton's mother. But subsequent tests later cast doubt on the assertion that the bullets used in the killings came from the gun. A long legal saga culminated in victory last year when the US
Supreme Court ruled Mr Hinton had not been given an adequate defence. His trial lawyer had hired an expert witness not properly qualified to challenge the ballistics evidence. "All they had to do was test the gun," Mr Hinton told reporters, frequently wiping away tears. "But when you think you're high and mighty and above the law, you don't have to answer to nobody. "But I've got news for you — everybody that played a part in sending me to death row, you will answer to God.".........Chief attorney Bryan Stevenson said Mr Hinton, who is black, was wrongly convicted in part because the colour of his skin. "Race,
poverty, inadequate legal assistance, and prosecutorial indifference to
innocence conspired to create a textbook example of injustice," Mr
Stevenson said."......... Mr Hinton is the 152nd person on death row to be
cleared since 1973 and the second to be exonerated in 2015, according to
the Death Penalty Information Centre."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-04/us-man-walks-free-after-30-years-on-death-row/6370942
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
I
have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses
several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of
the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this
powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and
myself get more out of the site.
The
Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible
years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr.
Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of
Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic"
section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It
can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
I look forward to hearing from readers at:
hlevy15@gmail.com.
Harold Levy; Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;
