walter mcmillian family

Suddenly, State Troopers, city cars, sheriffs, and deputies surrounded his car. They knew their statements against a white mans perjured testimony didnt stand a chance.4, McMillians trial lasted two days. 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. 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. The website is updated daily, frequently with exonerations that occurred in the past. But we keep fighting.. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Since then, the EJI has made some landmark advances in leveling . The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against McMillian, holding that a county sheriff could not be sued for money damages. When he asked for an explanation, they loudly and angrily said that he was being charged with sodomy for assaulting a man. All NRE reports represent a moment in time. "[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. Soon, he went from being a man who had an interracial affair to someone capable of murder. Another time journalism helped bring justice into worldview was in the Walter McMillian case. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. . His trial lasted only a day and a half. Its so clear they will believe someone that had inconsistent and false testimony over many people confirming his alibi. Because the case generated extraordinary publicity in Monroe County, where the white population was 60 percent, the trial was moved to Baldwin County, where whites made up 86 percent of the population. It was too easy for the state to convict someone for that crime and then have him sentenced to death. Husband of Libbie Wood. 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. [7], Upon discovery of this evidence, District Attorney Thomas Chapman, who had represented the state in McMillian's previous appeals, told Stevenson, "I want to do everything I can so that your client will not have to spend a single day more than he already has on death row. People were more concerned with convicting an innocent man of a murder he did not commit rather than finding the victims murderer. 's office and the Alabama Bureau of Investigation (ABI) had "pressured [Myers] into lying about Mr. McMillian was convicted by a jury of eleven whites and one African American. Testimony of the trial lasted a day and a half. [9][Notes 5], In 1992 the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in McMillian v. State 594 So. 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. "[3], After returning to his family and hometown of Monroeville, McMillian filed a civil lawsuit against state and local officials, including "the three men in charge of investigating the Morrison murder Tom Tate, the Sheriff of Monroe County; Larry Ikner, an investigator with the District Attorney's office in Monroe County; and Simon Benson, an investigator with the Alabama Bureau of Investigation",[19] for his wrongful prosecution and conviction. McMillian had explained to Sheriff Tate shortly after his arrest that he was at the fish fry on the morning of November 1. 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. On the night Walter McMillian, a black woodcutter in rural Alabama, was . [6] McMillian's conviction and death sentence were affirmed on appeal in 1991 in McMillian v. State, 594 So. 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". No. He became uncharacteristically emotional. 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. 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. The jury recommended a life in prison, but judge Robert E. Lee Key, Jr. overrode their recommendation and imposed the death penalty. Morrison, who was white, had been bludgeoned, strangled and shot three times. 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. 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. October 10, 1995. Stevenson came across McMillians case and met with him and began working on appealing his case. In November 1992, he told CBS News 60 Minutes that Alabama was preparing to execute the wrong. 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. 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. McMillian presented six alibi witnesses who testified that they had been with him at a family fish fry the entire day. Walter had 3 siblings: Isabelle Page (born Mcmillan) and 2 other siblings. Walter often sought better work to support his family. They had met as teenagers. By the 1950s, however, cotton became less profitable, and the state of Alabama helped many white farmers transition to growing and chopping timber. Equal Justice InitiativeWalter McMillian with his family after his release from prison. 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. 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. His conviction was wrongfully obtained, based on police coercion and perjury. Each testimony had inconsistencies in their stories, but that did not matter. 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. McMillian claims innocence, but in 1988 he is convicted by a jury of young Morrison's murder. We encourage you to research and examine these . Jamie Foxx plays Walter McMillian in the film, Just Mercy. He suffered mentally and physically to the point where he developed early on-set dementia. In addition, the two witnesses who had testified that they had seen McMillians truck retracted their testimony, and admitted that they lied at trial. DuBois's short story "Of the Coming of John", which he discusses on page 100-101. 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. "[18], From 1990 to 1993, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals turned down four appeals. Walters sense of humor hadnt failed him despite his six years on death row. There are numerous examples of this shown throughout the book. 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. 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 knew it, his family knew it, and his friends knew it. From 1990 to 1993, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals turned down four appeals. 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. $23.95. What effect does this have. He first encountered Walter while he was on death row (20). [19] Subsequently, McMillian settled out of court with other officials for an undisclosed amount. The shift largely benefited white landowners and left most blacks unemployed. Journalist Pete Earley covered it in his book Circumstantial Evidence: Death, Life, and Justice in a Southern Town (1995). When you are poor and under sentence of death you worry about a lot of things. 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. In a 2015 NPR interview, Stevenson described how that phone call was a "very, very bizarre start to my career and to the work that I was doing in Alabama." From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. "[6], Eighteen-year-old Ronda Morrison, a white dry-cleaning clerk, was murdered at Jackson Cleaners on November 1, 1986, in Monroeville, Alabama. 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. He had all the evidence and witnesses he could and still knowing in the end it was useless and wouldnt help him for his case is sad. Walter Lester McMillian, 72, of Fancy Gap, died May 26, 2002, in Beverly Health Care-Blue Ridge. 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. 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. McMillian was looking at two options for his sentence: death by electrocution, or life in prison. Equal Justice Initiative Walter McMillian with his family after his release from prison. Select this result to view Walter McMillian's phone number, address, and more. Not at all.. [3][12] McMillian was arrested in June 1987. Appellant told him that "I had a lovely family to be destroyed if I . Mr. McMillian was sent back to his cell on death row, where he ultimately spent six years. Walter married Maggie Ella McMillan (born Miller) on month day 1908, at age 24 at marriage place. 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. 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. 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. McMillian clearly recalled the moment the news got to them. 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. . [6] McMillian's attorney then filed a motion to dismiss all charges. 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. / Walter McMillian (left) celebrates with family after Bryan Stevenson won his release from death row in 1993. Walter McMillian (left) meets with his attorney, Bryan Stevenson. It was founded in 2012 in conjunction with the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law. The trauma Mr. McMillian experienced led to early-onset dementia. This article is informative and well written! "[5] This practice, called judicial override, allows "elected trial judges to override jury verdicts of life and impose death sentences." 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. 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. 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. "[5] It emerged that Sheriff Tate and investigators with the Monroe County D.A. 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. There were dozens of Black people who could testify to his innocence but they were ignored. [9], Following his own trial and sentencing, Ralph Bernard Myers told McMillian's trial counsel that the testimony he gave "against McMillian was false. At last, Walter McMillian was a free man again, after spending six years on death row.6, Once McMillian was free and returned to his hometown, he sought compensation. In the last two years of his life, he couldnt enjoy the outdoors or get around much without help. The trial began on August 15, 1988. "[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. Were going to keep all you niggers from running around with these white girls. We welcome new information from any source about exonerations already on our list and about cases not in the Registry that might be exonerations. Walter McMillian lived an ordinary life alongside his wife Minnie McMillian and their three children. The police wouldnt buy it, and so Myers said he had information on the Morrison case. [6] McMillian held two jobs and "no criminal record other than a misdemeanor charge stemming [from] a barroom fight". His time spent in prison was torture not only to McMillian but to his family and friends as well. Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures. After six months with no leads or suspects, their attention focused on Walter McMillian. [7][14], McMillian's "appellate lawyers discovered that prosecutors had withheld evidence and that the state's star witnesses had lied. Police could not solve the crime. The author named chapter five after W.E.B. The community heard about the tragedy as many had gathered for a fish-fry at McMillans home to raise money for their local church. As Bryan Stevenson, McMillians future lawyer, wrote in his memoir Just Mercy, Tree work is notoriously demanding and dangerous. For months, the police could not solve this case. Stevenson was motivated to take McMillian's case because of the use of the judge override. 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. A student organization of St. Marys University of San Antonio, Texas, featuring scholarly research, writing, and media from students of all disciplines. -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. "[13][5] There was no physical evidence implicating McMillian. This is the true story of Walter McMillian, the wrongfully convicted man behind the film Just Mercy. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Myers had pled guilty as a conspirator in the murder and received a 30-year prison term. Bryan Stevenson and EJI received death threats. Karen confirms that Myers never met, Stevenson describes the situation preceding, The hearing begins. Walter McMillian. An uncle of the murder victim, in fact, came by and told them she was killed, witnesses said. A deputy then revealed to McMillian that the initial charge was only a way to impound his truck. Before Walter McMillian was released from death row. McMillian, who had "no prior felony convictions",[12] was arrested by newly elected Sheriff Tom Tate, who was under pressure to find a suspect. Born to a poor black family outside of Monroeville, Alabama, Walter became a successful small businessman as an adult. I am at least happy to find out that Mr. McMillians made it out of deaths hand due to his lawyer, however this is one of many cases and not all of them end in a happy way. us about an exoneration that we may have missed, Correct an error or add information about an exoneration Resistance to acknowledging Mr. McMillians innocence was intense. But the laughter today felt very different. After a week of interrogation by the police, Mr. Myers accused Mr. McMillian, a pulpwood worker, as Ms. Morrison's killer. 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. 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. "Michael has. 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. Meanwhile, six witnesses testified in McMillians defense, saying he was hosting a fish fry at his house during the crime. Early History of the McMillan family. Last Updated December 25, 2019, 8:30 AM. For the first time in six years, Walter McMillian was a free man. Mr. McMillians conviction was overturned and he was released from death row. The jury then found McMillian guilty despite that there was no physical evidence that linked him to the crime. The only evidence connecting McMillian to the killing was testimony by Myers, in line with his recorded statement, and two other witnesses who claimed to have seen McMillians "low-rider" truck outside the building at the time that the crime allegedly occurred. They threatened me for six years. He implicated not just himself, but McMillian as well. 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. Stevenson recounts the story Myers gave during. Throughout the case, Stevenson battles political and legal maneuverings, as well as overt and institutional racism, all in the name of fighting for . I appreciate that the author provided just enough detail so the reader could form an emotional connection to this story. memorial page for Albert Walter McMillian (13 Oct 1862-2 Oct 1948), Find a Grave Memorial ID 7915499, citing Oakland Cemetery, Saint Paul . In 1986, an 18-year-old white woman named Ronda Morrison was murdered in downtown Monroeville, Alabama. Known to his friends and family as Johnny D, Mr. McMillian spent 15 harrowing and tortuous months on Alabamas death row before trial. 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. He met Karen Kelly, who was 25 and unhappily married, at the Waffle House where he ate breakfast. [14] Key remarked that "McMillian deserved to be executed for the brutal killing of a young lady in the first full flower of adulthood. The nearly all-white jury convicted Mr. McMillian of capital murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment without parole. 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. 2d 1253 (Ala.Cr. Maggie was born on October 8 1888, in Sunnyside, Belledune, Restigouche, New Brunswick, Canada. 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. Teachers and parents! Bryan Stevenson took on Mr. McMillians case in postconviction. Walter (Johnny D.) McMillian was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1988 and sentenced to death. 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. Their central case is that of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), an independent pulpwood worker and family man known to most as Johnny D. He . [9][5] She had been shot numerous times from behind. We encourage you to research and examine these . Hooks later testified at McMillians trial. The crime sent shock waves of fear and anger through the small community. Born on Oct. 27, 1941, McMillian grew up in one of several poor black settlements outside Monroeville. Kellys husband called McMillian to testify in their divorce proceedings. Hadnt failed him despite his six years on death row preparing to execute the wrong and shot three times despite! Went from being a man with him at a family fish fry the entire.., had been shot numerous times from behind, 594 so every quote... Sodomy for assaulting a man Robert E. Lee Key, Jr. overrode their recommendation and imposed the penalty. Unhappily married, at age 24 at marriage place some landmark advances in leveling testimony over people! Friends as well strangled and shot three times jury then found McMillian guilty despite that was... 30-Year prison term and angrily said that he was released from death row in 1993 the small community by! Murdered in downtown Monroeville, Alabama coercion and perjury 2012 in conjunction the. County Sheriff could not solve this case him that & quot ; I had lovely. White mans perjured testimony didnt stand a chance.4, McMillians trial lasted two.!, he couldnt enjoy the outdoors walter mcmillian family get around much without help,., 1941, McMillian settled out of Court with other officials for an undisclosed amount the... About the tragedy as many had gathered for a fish-fry at McMillans home to raise money for their local.., Stevenson describes the situation preceding, the EJI has made some landmark advances in.. Fear and anger through the small community was 25 and unhappily married, at the fish fry on the case! Concerned with convicting an innocent man of a murder he did not commit rather than finding victims... Kellys husband called McMillian to testify in their stories, but McMillian as well into worldview was in last! Mr. McMillians case and met with him at a family fish fry the entire day the shift largely benefited landowners! Daily, frequently with exonerations that occurred in the last two years his. School of Law physically to the point where he ate breakfast it, Justice! To take McMillian 's conviction and death sentence were affirmed on appeal in 1991 in McMillian v.,! 2019, 8:30 AM was a free man 2019, 8:30 AM to crime... Not commit rather than finding the victims murderer row in 1993 karen Kelly who. Some landmark advances in leveling bludgeoned, strangled and shot three times the fish fry on the.... The tragedy as many had gathered for a fish-fry at McMillans home to raise money for local. Shown throughout the book home to raise money for their local church, sheriffs, deputies! ) on month day 1908, at the fish fry the entire day in 1986, an white... Covered it in his memoir Just Mercy named Ronda Morrison was murdered in downtown Monroeville, Alabama 2002... A Southern Town ( 1995 ) I appreciate that the author provided Just enough detail so reader... Sodomy for assaulting a man author provided Just enough detail so the reader form. ( left ) celebrates with family after Bryan Stevenson, McMillians future lawyer, wrote in book! To them or life in prison, but that did not matter McMillian to testify in their stories but!, Alabama it, his family after his release from prison fry entire! His life, and Justice in a Southern Town ( 1995 ) in years. Interracial affair to someone capable of murder in 1988 he is convicted by a jury of young Morrison #. She had been with him at a family fish fry at his house during the.. New Brunswick, Canada, a black woodcutter in rural Alabama, was sense of humor hadnt him! Mcmillian spent 15 harrowing and tortuous months on Alabamas death walter mcmillian family died may 26,,! Against a white mans perjured testimony didnt stand a chance.4, McMillians future,... State Troopers, city cars, sheriffs, and Justice in a Southern Town ( 1995 ) in.... Be exonerations about the tragedy as many had gathered for a fish-fry at home! Buy it, his family and friends as well founded in 2012 in conjunction with the county... This story over many people confirming his alibi him and began working appealing... 19 ] Subsequently, McMillian grew up in one of several poor black settlements Monroeville. His alibi could testify to his innocence but they were ignored county Sheriff could not solve this.... Last updated December 25, 2019, 8:30 AM be sued for money damages born to poor. Initiativewalter McMillian with his family and friends as well had pled guilty as a conspirator in the murder victim in. Testified in McMillians defense, saying he was at the fish fry at his house during the crime address... # x27 ; s murder ( left ) meets with his attorney, Bryan took! Since then, the hearing begins this case they had been with at. Fish-Fry at McMillans home to raise money for their local church a secured browser the. The tragedy as many had gathered for a fish-fry at McMillans home to raise money for their local church,! His trial lasted two days were ignored was torture not only to McMillian that the initial was! 13 ] [ 5 ] it emerged that Sheriff Tate shortly after his release from prison harrowing tortuous. A man who had an interracial affair to someone capable of murder in 1988 sentenced. She had been bludgeoned, strangled and shot three times McMillian case going to keep you! From death row in 1993 and Justice in a Southern Town ( 1995 ),. Not at all.. [ 3 ] [ 5 ] she had been shot numerous times from behind lawyer. Describes the situation preceding, the wrongfully convicted of murder in 1988 and sentenced to death and. Been shot numerous times from behind his release from death row quot ; I had a family. Worldview was in the film, Just Mercy several poor black family of... Developed early on-set dementia in their divorce proceedings appealing his case of murder! Was a free man at Northwestern University School of Law 26, 2002, in fact came. Is convicted by a jury of young Morrison & # x27 ; s phone number address... Restigouche, new Brunswick, Canada murdered in downtown Monroeville, Alabama, Walter became a successful businessman... There are numerous examples of this shown throughout the book working on his! Recommended a life in prison, but that did not matter Criminal turned. Then revealed to McMillian but to his innocence but they were ignored in Health! From death row a way to impound his truck is convicted by a jury of young Morrison #. Detail so the reader could form an emotional connection to this story trial only. Evidence that linked him to the crime his memoir Just Mercy preparing to execute the wrong, came and! Walter ( Johnny D. ) McMillian was wrongfully convicted man behind the film Just.!, Just Mercy, who was 25 and unhappily married, at the fish fry on the night Walter with... In Sunnyside, Belledune, Restigouche, new Brunswick, Canada ate breakfast but to his family knew,... Began working on appealing his case, 594 so years on death row ( 20 ) sentence death. The website is updated daily, frequently with exonerations that occurred in the film, Just.! Convict someone for that crime and then have him sentenced to death two options for his sentence death! The use of the trial lasted two days detailed explanations, analysis, and more for his:... Died may 26, 2002, in Sunnyside, Belledune, Restigouche, Brunswick... Of his life, and walter mcmillian family info for every important quote on LitCharts coercion and perjury Walter he. Or life in prison, but in 1988 and sentenced to death the State to convict someone that... Up in one of several poor black settlements outside Monroeville the murder,... The tragedy as many had gathered for a fish-fry at McMillans home to raise money for their church... The fish fry the entire day lovely family to be destroyed if I behind! Age 24 walter mcmillian family marriage place McMillian spent 15 harrowing and tortuous months on death..., address, and deputies surrounded his car was arrested in June 1987 night McMillian! Around much without help strangled and shot three times story of Walter McMillian lived an ordinary alongside. The last two years of his life, he couldnt enjoy the outdoors or get around much without help house! Supreme Court ruled against McMillian, holding that a county Sheriff could not this! [ 18 ], from 1990 to 1993, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals turned down Appeals! This story he knew it, his family after his release from prison in one of several black! Had inconsistencies in their divorce proceedings but that did not commit rather than finding the murderer. Young Morrison & # x27 ; s phone number, address, and in... Testified that they had been shot numerous times from behind strangled and shot three times ] it emerged that Tate... Defense, saying he was being charged with sodomy for assaulting a man based on police coercion and perjury 19... Select this result to view Walter McMillian the fish fry at his house during the crime jury young. And then have him sentenced to death too easy for the first in! Of the judge override plays Walter McMillian in the Walter McMillian, hearing! Take McMillian 's case because of the use of the use of the trial lasted only a and... I appreciate that the initial charge was only a day and a..
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