In 1944, 14-year old African American, George Stinney, was wrongfully convicted and executed. According to Murderpedia.org, a digital database containing the collective history of notorious murders, the event took place in Alcolu, South Carolina. Stinney remains the youngest person executed in United States history. Stinney was accused of first-degree murder. He was charged with the murder of 11-year old Betty June Binnicker and 8-year old Mary Emma Thames. Stinney was executed by the formal method of execution at the time, the electric chair. The trial concluded in one day. After Stinney was arrested he was not allowed to see his family until after the trial and conviction concluded. Stinney reportedly confessed to the crime according to the investigating deputy, even though a confession statement by George Stinney never existed. In 2013 Stinney’s descended family petitioned for a retrial. On December 17, 2014, George Stinney’s case …show more content…
It took 70 years after his execution to exonerate him”, Lindsey Bever, states, “He was questioned in a small room, alone – without his parents, without an attorney” (Bever). It happens to be that George fell under the category of a minor, therefore it was illegal and immoral for deputies to interrogate him without proper legal representation or a legal guardian. This indicated that his “confession” might have been coerced or intimidated out of him. According to Terrell Jermaine Starr, author of “Executed at 14: George Stinney’s Birthday Reminds Us That the Death Penalty Must End”, adds that, there was no record of George actually confessing to the crime, no physical evidence whatsoever even exists (Starr). Starr also confirms that the deputies reportedly offered young George ice cream in order to further manipulate him into confessing (Starr). Whether Stinney actually confessed or was forced to confess; the confession could not have been used in court due to the false pretenses it was obtained
It can be argued that the punishment for George Atzerodt was fair. This is not true because he was charged for conspiring to kill the vice president. The punishment that George Atzerodt was given was to be hanged. This is not the crime that George Atzerodt should have been given because he backed out of killing the vice president but he got punished because he knew about assassination plan to kill Abraham Lincoln. The punishment for his crime was not fair because in the U.S code of law says that if two or more persons conspire to kill or kidnap any individual (president of the united states, president elect, or the vice president) or more of such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each shall be punished by imprisonment for any term of years or for life. In the U.S code of law it says that the punishment for conspiring to kill the president, president elect, vice president is imprisonment for any term of years or for life. This is why the punishment for George Atzerodt’s crime was not fair which makes the trial
In June of 1998, a sadistic murder of a middle-aged black man from Jasper, Texas, rekindled memories of lynching practices from the blood stained American past. James Byrd, Jr., 49, was beaten savagely to the point of unconsciousness, chained to the back of a pickup truck by his neck, and dragged for miles over rural roads outside the town of Jasper. It is believed that Byrd survived through most of this experience, that is, until he was decapitated. Three white men, John William King, 23, Shawn Berry, 23, (both of whom had links to white supremacist groups) and Lawrence Brewer Jr., 31, were arrested. Brewer and King were sentenced to death for a racial hate crime that shocked the nation. Berry was sent to prison for life.
Killing someone is never right. No one pointed a single finger to George for killing Lennie. They all thought it was ok since Lennie killed Curley’s wife, it is not ok to kill a person. All of them went out to drink after Lennie was dead. George did not even care, Lennie trusted George with everything. Lennie would probably be arrested for killing Curley’s wife, but he did not deserve to be killed. Lennie was a special person, he did not know his own strength. He never meant to kill Curley’s wife. George knew that but decided to kill Lennie anyways. That is not the definition of a true friend. No one accused George of anything, but instead were happy that Lennie ended up being
Hale, Robert L. A Review of Juvenile Executions in America. Vol. 3. Wales: Edwin Mellen, 1997. Print.
George did not ask Lennie if he wanted to be killed. Mercy killings are usually a patient requesting the action, so it’s usually not done without consent like the situation in this book. Also, there were many other options for Lennie like him living in the mountains as he mentions. “‘George gonna wish he was alone an’ not have me botherin’ him.’ He turned his head and looked at the bright mountaintops. ‘I can go right off there an' find a cave,’ he said. And he continued sadly, '--an' never have no ketchup--but I won't care. If George don't want me...I'll go away. I'll go away'"(Steinbeck 100). The evidence proves that there were other options than killing Lennie. He could have lived in the mountains with or without George. They could have hidden in the brush somewhere far away from Curley, and none of these actions would’ve been necessary.
On March 24, 1998 in Jonesboro, Arkansas five people were murdered and ten people were injured. The fifteen were victims of an act of gun violence when two young Westside Middle School students decided to attack their school with firearms. Mitchell Scott Johnson born August 11, 1984 age 13 at the time of the shooting and Andrew Douglas Golden born May 25, 1986 age 11 at the time of the shooting. Johnson and Golden were both charged with five counts of murder and ten counts of aggravated assault. Both served their time in the juvenile justice system because in order to be waived to the adult system in the state of Arkansas the offender at the time must have been at least 14 years old. The two severed their time in Alexander Arkansas at the Arkansas Department of Human Services. Johnson was released after seven years on his 21st birthday in 2005. The same went for Golden after serving nine years.
In the book, Chasing Lincoln’s Killer, a total of five co-conspirators served the death penalty. Although, out of these five suspects, it seemed that George Atzerodt’s punishment far outweighed his role in the crime. In my opinion, I do not believe that he did anything worthy of death.
Dock Booker was born on February 17, 1909 in Little Rock Pulaski County Arkansas. He lived a short life of only 46 years. He was executed by the State of Missouri for the crime of murder. Dock Booker claimed his innocence by maintaining his story of self defense and an accidental shooting. The fatal shooting took place August 15th, 1953. He testified the deceased “Harrison” had a knife and told him to stay off of Taylor Ave, Booker then took his gun from his jacket to show to “Harrison” and the gun was accidentally discharged.
On the morning of January 24th, 1989, Bundy met his fate at the Florida State Prison. He was put to death around seven a.m. that morning in an electric chair. After his execution, crowds gathered around the prison set off fireworks. In the end, he admitted to thirty six killings, but experts are convinced that the total may of been closer to one hundred.(3)
Narration: The death penalty is irreversible, it cannot be undone. George Junius Stinney JR was executed in Columbia, South Carolina at the age of just 14…
The trial began in July of 1949. He pled not guilty but eventually found guilty and sentenced to death. John George Haigh was hanged at Wandsworth Prison on August 6, 1949 (“John haigh,”). After five years of vampire-like acts and a mass murder spree of seven people, Haigh’s victims were brought to justice. Haigh killed to gain money and property that he could potentially change into more money. After his fortune would run low, he would kill again to support his wealthy spending. Even the “best” murder plan, such as a sulfuric acid bath, unravels and criminal will almost always get caught.
boy who was killed by two ten year olds in 1993. They beat him until
While researching this case I stumbled upon many others and I became aware of how many people have suffered from the injustice of being found guilty. While reading parts of the book “Real Justice: Fourteen and Sentenced to Death the Story of Steven Truscott” I learned that the police played a large role in why 14-year-old Truscott was found guilty of murder. The book showed that they forced witnesses to change their story to further “prove” Truscott’s guilt of the crime. This led to the conclusion that in this case (like many others) the police were solely and unjustly targeting one
“The trial was brought to a speedy conclusion. Not only did Judge Evans find the twelve guilty, fine them $100 each, and committed them to jail, but five people in the courtroom who had served as witnesses for the defense arrested. […] The police were then instructed to transfer the seventeen prisoners that night to the county jail”(30).
In the quiet New York town of Savona, Eric Smith, age thirteen, intercepted four year old Derrick Robie on his way to a park recreation program and offered to show him a shortcut. Hesitatingly, Derrick set off with Eric. He never made it to the park. That same day the little boy's savagely beaten body was discovered outside the park area (Seifert 98).