It was clear that Myers and McMillian didnt know each other; Myers word was the sole evidence connecting McMillian to the crime. After the jury took a vote, the final decision was made, and McMillian was sentenced to death.5, In 1988, freshly graduated from Harvard, Bryan Stevenson was eager to help inmates on death row. Following his death penalty sentence, Stevenson took. "[6], Eighteen-year-old Ronda Morrison, a white dry-cleaning clerk, was murdered at Jackson Cleaners on November 1, 1986, in Monroeville, Alabama. Walter McMillian lived an ordinary life alongside his wife Minnie McMillian and their three children. "[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. And he had an alibi: He was at a family fish fry the morning Ronda Morrison was murdered. McMillian lost an appeal in 1991 and his conviction and death sentence were affirmed. Police could not solve the crime. [3] Walter McMillians post-conviction ordeal is featured in the film. 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. "[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. EJI proved the States witnesses had lied on the stand. What seemed to bring him attention is that hed had an affair with a married white woman. 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. Their central case is that of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), an independent pulpwood worker and family man known to most as Johnny D. He . Its narrative backbone is the story of Walter McMillian, whom Stevenson began representing in the late 1980s when he was on death row for killing a young white woman in Monroeville, Ala., the . .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. Walters sense of humor hadnt failed him despite his six years on death row. 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. "Michael has. He knew it, his family knew it, and his friends knew it. CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE Death, Life, and Justice in a Southern Town By Pete Earley Bantam. 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. 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. [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. He has won all but one of the five cases he's argued at the Court. In addition, one of his sons had married a white woman. Simplified. But then police arrested Ralph Myers, a white man with a drug problem and a lengthy criminal record who was also a new friend of Karen Kellys, McMillians ex. As a result, a stunning number of innocent people have been sentenced to death. On March 3, 1993, the County District Attorney finally dismissed the charges. 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. I lost my I lost my dignity.. In his police interview, he made up all sorts of wild stories, like how the sheriff of a nearby county murdered Pittman. 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. He writes that Norton was uninterested in the subject of, career, but had become passionate about the work of EJI after interning one summer. Supporters celebrated Mr. McMillians release. 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. As Mr. Stevenson and the staff of EJI investigated the case, they discovered a ton of evidence that proved Mr. McMillian was innocent. Find Walter Mcmillian's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading online directory for contact information. "Just Mercy," a movie about the case, opens in theaters this . Last Updated December 25, 2019, 8:30 AM. For months, the police could not solve this case. 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 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. [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. 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. Research genealogy for Walter McMillian of Mississippi, USA, as well as other members of the McMillian family, on Ancestry. It was the laughter of liberation. In 1988, Walter McMillian, a black man, was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death for murdering an 18-year-old white woman 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. This is the true story of Walter McMillian, the wrongfully convicted man behind the film Just Mercy. Weeks later, at around 10:45 a.m. on Nov. 1, 1986, 18-year-old Ronda Morrison a white college student who was beloved by the local community was found dead at a Monroeville dry cleaners, where she worked part-time. 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. In a taped confession, Myers said he drove McMillian to the dry cleaners on the morning of Nov. 1, 1986, but McMillian entered the building alone. 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. One of his early cases was that of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), who is put on deathrow in 1987 for the murder of an eighteen year-old White girl, regardless of the evidence proving his innocence. Like Walter, she is from the poor black community just outside of Monroeville. Stevenson was motivated to take McMillian's case because of the use of the judge override. We encourage you to research and examine these . Less than two years later, he was convicted of murder a murder he didnt commit. The sheriff arranged for Mr. McMillian to be placed on death row before his trialwhen he hadnt even been convicted of a crime. 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. Myers was picked up for a different murder, that of a poor white woman named Vickie Pittman. One of his friends said they were working on that same truck that morning; the transmission was out of it. McMillian's case served as a catalyst for Alabama's compensation statute, which was passed in 2001. Walters case complicated the debate in very graphic ways. The trial began on August 15, 1988. 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]. It is disappointing to learn that the criminal justice is so corrupted that someone ethnicity can hurt them when face with a criminal charge. . McMillian was shocked and absolutely saddened to hear about it. Wonder how many of them were white, if any minorities were serving at all. This story was very sad to read, and unfortunately a clear reality in todays times with our criminal justice system in the United States. [14] Key remarked that "McMillian deserved to be executed for the brutal killing of a young lady in the first full flower of adulthood. Mr. McMillians experience on death row was traumatic. In 1992, Ed Bradley reported that the wrong man might have been sitting on Alabama's death row. An uncle of the murder victim, in fact, came by and told them she was killed, witnesses said. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. They were close their community and church. I am also worried about others. Stevenson came across McMillians case and met with him and began working on appealing his case. 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. Walter was implicated in the murder of Ronda Morrison, which led to a rather unfair trial against him. Judge Key warns Stevenson not to take on the case of, death row inmates. I appreciate that the author provided just enough detail so the reader could form an emotional connection to this story. McMillian was then placed in a cell on death row where he waited for a year before his trial took place. We can embrace our humanness, which means embracing our broken natures and the compassion that remains our best hope for healing. [7][Notes 7], McMillian later developed dementia, believed to have been brought on by the trauma of imprisonment. [9], Following his own trial and sentencing, Ralph Bernard Myers told McMillian's trial counsel that the testimony he gave "against McMillian was false. App.1991). His case lacked evidence but he was still. They had met as teenagers. Walter was born on October 27, 1941 and passed away on Wednesday, September 11, 2013. . [13][5][Notes 2], The "jury ignored multiple alibi defense witnesses, who were black, who testified under oath that he was at a fish fry at the time of the crime. "[13][5] There was no physical evidence implicating McMillian. Then, read the harrowing last words of 23 executed criminals. SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES No. 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. 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. Explore genealogy for Walter McMillian born 1941 Monroe County, Alabama, United States died 2013 including ancestors + more in the free family tree community. The following week, on March 2, Circuit Court Judge Pamela W. Baschab ruled on the motion, dismissing all charges against McMillian. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against McMillian, holding that a county sheriff could not be sued for money damages. [7], In the fall of 1992, McMillian's case received national attention in the CBS News program 60 Minutes. Grandfather. Stevenson finishes by calling on, of the other witness testimonies. McMillians original attorneys in the trial, J.L. Mr. McMillians conviction was overturned and he was released from death row. Stevenson, now 60, continues his social justice work in Alabama. Things would be fine, he thought, as long as everything was kept secret. 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. He wasnt just enraged that his wife was cheating on him she was cheating on him with a black man. 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. 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." [6] McMillian held two jobs and "no criminal record other than a misdemeanor charge stemming [from] a barroom fight". Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. . McMillian. 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. industry in its place. Walter McMillian was married to Minnie McMillian for 25 years. October 10, 1995. After he had decided to take the appeal, he got a phone call from Judge Key discouraging Stevenson from taking the case. Known to his friends and family as Johnny D, Mr. McMillian spent 15 harrowing and tortuous months on Alabamas death row before trial. 's office and the Alabama Bureau of Investigation (ABI) had "pressured [Myers] into lying about Mr. 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. 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 police wouldnt buy it, and so Myers said he had information on the Morrison case. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The smell of someone you know burning to death is the most painful and nauseating experience on this earth. Sexual or romantic relationships between blacks and whites were still very much taboo, especially out in the land of forests and plantations. McMillian, who had "no prior felony convictions",[12] was arrested by newly elected Sheriff Tom Tate, who was under pressure to find a suspect. Judge Robert E. Lee Key overrode the jurys sentence of life imprisonment and sentenced Mr. McMillian to death by electrocution. McMillian was looking at two options for his sentence: death by electrocution, or life in prison. 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. All NRE reports represent a moment in time. [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. About $35 was missing. And thats how his affair with a white woman 18 years his junior became the talk of the town. 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. The suspect, who was from a prominent family then fled town. Aside from having a misdemeanor charge from a barroom fight, he had a clean record and no other charges to his name. Contact profile manager; View family tree; They separate after Walter's release, but she remains involved in his life and in his care during his long-term illness. His sole criminal record was a suspended sentence for a bar fight. Walter McMillian lived an ordinary life alongside his wife Minnie McMillian and their three children. He "did not have a history of violence. Equal Justice Initiative Walter McMillian with his family after his release from prison. Bryan Stevenson, McMillian's defense attorney, raised awareness on the CBS News program 60 Minutes. This story is just one of the many injustices colored people must experience. us about an exoneration that we may have missed, Correct an error or add information about an exoneration Myers had pled guilty as a conspirator in the murder and received a 30-year prison term. Decades later, McMillian found himself the object of one pretty white womans flirtation. 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. 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. Walter Miles McMillian's Geni Profile. As Bryan Stevenson, McMillians future lawyer, wrote in his memoir Just Mercy, Tree work is notoriously demanding and dangerous. [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. It was too easy for one person to come into court and frame a man for a murder he didnt commit. On April 1, 1993, Mr. McMillian spoke to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee about the urgent need to end the death penalty. When you are poor and under sentence of death you worry about a lot of things. McMillian already had a target on his back from his affair with Karen Kelly, and the police had that target in their sights. Subsequently, McMillian settled with other officials for an undisclosed amount. Equal Justice Initiative With his conviction overturned, Walter McMillian was released from death row in 1993. 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. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. That one testimony of Hooks was all it took to convict him for the murder of Ronda Morrison. 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. Stevenson's uncle died in prison . 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. [3] A journalist described him as a "black pulpwood worker". . The reveal of the witness being pressured to testify proves that the laws that help prevent these things dont always work. I don't give a damn what your people say either. Still, the police were desperate to wrap up the Morrison case, and they felt that this was their opportunity. The real-life Walter McMillian (left) and lawyer Bryan Stevenson. The nearly all-white jury convicted Mr. McMillian of capital murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment without parole. The . Select this result to view Walter McMillian's phone number, address, and more. [7][14], McMillian's "appellate lawyers discovered that prosecutors had withheld evidence and that the state's star witnesses had lied. [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]. I lost my reputation. A student organization of St. Marys University of San Antonio, Texas, featuring scholarly research, writing, and media from students of all disciplines. Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures. 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. [3][12] McMillian was arrested in June 1987. 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 Its really infuriating that the people involved received no backlash. I find it very heartbreaking that even with inconsistencies and testimonies in favor of him, that he was still condemned because of the way he looked. The officials involved in prosecuting McMillian received no punishment or removal from their positions. We have all hurt someone and have been hurt. They put me on death row for six years! There are numerous examples of this shown throughout the book. 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. Our death penalty system treats you better if youre rich and guilty than if youre poor and innocent. 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. He suffered mentally and physically to the point where he developed early on-set dementia. Walter McMillian (Photo/Equal Justice Initiative). [9][5] She had been shot numerous times from behind. 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 McMillian had explained to Sheriff Tate shortly after his arrest that he was at the fish fry on the morning of November 1. McMillian and his wife, Minnie, met when when they were teenagers and married after she became pregnant in 1962. Born to a poor black family outside of Monroeville, Alabama, Walter became a successful small businessman as an adult. Suddenly, State Troopers, city cars, sheriffs, and deputies surrounded his car. We invite you to learn more about the clients featured in the book below. 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. In 1988, Walter McMillian, a Black man, was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death for . I believe there are other people under sentence of death who like me are not guilty.. 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. 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. He had lost his logging business and sold car parts until he became too ill to work. Walter often sought better work to support his family. The McMillian family: Walter McMillian had a family of believers. And this case had given him lots of fodder. 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. She is resilient, patient, intelligent and hospitable. We have a choice. Mr. McMillian was an unlikely suspect. Research the McMillian family Start your family tree now. 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