George Stinney Jr. was exonerated Wednesday, 70 years after the 14-old-boy was executed in South Carolina for a murder conviction. He was executed via the electric chair after his white lawyer called no witnesses and performed no cross-examinations. George Stinney Jr became the youngest person to be executed in the US in the 20th century when he was sent to the electric chair in 1944, but more than 70 years after his death his conviction has been overturned. Convicted of the murder and rape of 19-year-old Stephanie Neiman in 2000 and sentenced to death. When officials turned on the switch, 2,400 volts surged through Stinney’s body, causing the mask to slip off. In January, a judge agreed to hear new testimony and arguments in the case. Freedom First International, The Guilty in Innocence Project and affiliates-honor the life of George Stinney Jr. An African-American young boy, George Stinney Jr., who was executed at age 14 in the killing of two young white girls has been exonerated in South Carolina, 70 years after he became the youngest person executed in the U.S. in the 1900s. George Stinney Jr became the youngest person to be executed in the US in the 20th century when he was sent to the electric chair in 1944 during the trial that lasted less than three hours and reportedly bore no evidence and barely any witness testimonies. Wilson was convicted of murdering co-worker Richard Yost during a robbery at a convenience store in 1995. George Stinney Jr. ‘exonerated,’ judge rules he did not receive ‘due process’ Wednesday, a South Carolina judge vacated Stinney’s conviction, which essentially clears his name. He was executed by electric chair in June 1944, thus becoming the youngest American with an exact birth date confirmed to be sentenced to death and executed in the 20th century. He was led to the adult-size electric chair where he was strapped in. George Stinney Jr. Exonerated 70 Years After His Execution at 14. (Courtesy of … "They weren't trying to railroad every black person associated with Alcolu and these little girls. Now over 70 years later George Stinney Jr. has been fully exonerated for his crimes, the After spending 25 years on death row fighting the order to end his life, McGuire was executed by lethal injection in January 2014, George Stinney Jr story and his family's battle for justice, It is wrong to think capital punishment is more 'humane' since 1944, Miscarriages of justice in US death penalty cases are still common, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}, Black 14-year-old boy exonerated 70 years after he was executed, Booking.com promo: 10% extra saving with Level 1 Genius membership, 15% off selected luxury beauty products by using this Debenhams discount code, Exclusive Ideal World promo code: 20% saving on fitness, Enter this AliExpress promo code for £10 off £100 orders in the tech sale, Argos discount: Save up to 15% on selected bikes and scooters. I've been following this story a long time. CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misspelled the judge's name. Witnesses saw him grimace and jerk as he became the first person put to death in that state with pentobarbital. Circuit Judge Carmen Mullen said the speed with which the state meted out justice against the boy was shocking and extremely unfair, and that his case was one of "great injustice" in her ruling exonerating Stinney Jr. This horrendous moment from the Jim Crow South has tormented civil rights advocates for years . It took Mullen nearly four times as long to return her decision on Stinney Jr’s case than it had originally taken to arrest and have him executed in 1944, and said in her ruling that she could “think of no greater injustice” than the boy’s case. ©2021 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. His case has long been spoken of as an example of how a black person could be railroaded by a justice system during the era of Jim Crow segregation laws where the investigators, prosecutors and juries where all white. He was kept from his parents and any legal counsel when he was interrogated by authorities, and his supporters claim that the small, frail boy was so scared that he would have said whatever he thought would make the police happy, despite there having been no physical evidence linking him to the death of the girls. George Stinney Jr: African-American boy, 14, youngest to be executed in US, was exonerated 70 years after death. By Anoushka Pinto. After 70 years, Mr. Stinney was exonerated of the double murders. … An African-American boy, George Stinney Jr., who was executed at age 14 in the killing of two young white girls has been exonerated in South Carolina, 70 … (Reuters ) … George Stinney Jr’s conviction was overturned because he was not given a fair trial, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. An African-American boy, George Stinney, who was executed when he was 14 years old for the killing of two young white girls, was exonerated this week, seventy years after he became the youngest person executed in the U.S. in the 1900s. His speedy conviction showed how a young African-American boy was condemned by a discriminatory and racist all-white justice system. The judge said she was overturning the boy’s conviction because the South Carolina court had failed to grant a fair trial in 1944. George Stinney Jr. 'exonerated,' judge rules he did not receive 'due process'. It took 70 years after his execution to exonerate him. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Executioners noted that he was too small for the electric chair when he died; the straps did not fit him, an electrode was too big for his leg, and the boy had to sit on a bible to fit properly in the chair. "They took my brother away and I never saw my mother laugh again," Amie Ruffner, Stinney's sister, previously said. Stinney Jr and his sister Amie Ruffner were the last people to see the two girls, aged 7 and 11, alive when they were out in a field near the town of Alcolu. At a hearing that month, Solicitor Ernest "Chip" Finney III argued the conviction should stand. Lockett died of a heart attack after a failed execution by lethal injection in April 2014, Killed by lethal injection in 2011 after he murdered an elderly woman. George Stinney Jr. was only 14 years old when he became the youngest person since the 1800’s to be executed in the United States. It took 10 minutes to convict 14-year-old George Stinney Jr. George Stinney Jr. was a fourteen years old African American child who was executed in South Carolina in 1944 for killing two young white girls. Stinney was the youngest person executed in the U.S. in the 20th century. Stinney Jr’s father had been part of the search team that found the girls’ bodies hours later in a ditch, badly beaten with crushing blows to their skulls. George Junius Stinney Jr. Stinney è la più giovane persona condannata a morte nella storia degli Stati Uniti . Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost's next chapter, Crime and Weird News editor, The Huffington Post. Part of HuffPost Crime. George Stinney, Exonerated 70 Years After Wrongful Murder Conviction As 14-Year-Old. This time Stinney Jr’s case was given a two day hearing in which experts questioned his confession and the autopsy findings, while the judge heard accounts from the boy’s surviving brothers and sisters, and someone who had been involved in the search. Image of George Stinney Jr being executed Exonerated too late However, Stinney's siblings always maintained his innocence. Tap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you. Exonerated, 70 years too late: Judge clears 14-year old boy executed for killing two white girls in 1944 George Stinney Jr was found guilty in 1944 of killing two white girls, 7 … Todd Johnson. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. His sister was still alive to see the name of her dear Aime Ruffner receives support from family and friends after testifying at the hearing to reopen the case for her brother, Defense witness Katherine Stinney-Robinson leaves the stand after her testimony in the case for her brother in January. Later, he was exonerated in 2014; 70 years after his execution. Brad Knickerbocker, “Executed at Age 14, George Stinney Exonerated 70 Years Later,”(Christian Science Monitor, December, 2014). George Stinney Jr – Executed At Age 14, Exonerated 70 Years Too Late – Counter Current News | Anti Media News - Truth Only April 3, 2017 at 11:30 pm Source: Black Main StreetA miscarriage of justice took place in Alcolu, SC in March of 1944. 8 talking about this. Published on : 00:30 PST, Jun 11, 2020. After seven decades, a black 14-year-old boy has been cleared of murder. A mask that was too big for him was placed over his face. Stinney Jr. was accused of murdering Betty June Binnicker, 11, and Mary Emma Thames, 7, while they were out picking maypop fruits. In addition to the alibi provided by Ruffner, the physical evidence is also very weak. Seventy years ago, a 14-year old South Carolina A South Carolina judge ruled he … Medical experts said he “suffered greatly”, Executed by lethal injection in January 2014. Most of the evidence from the original trial was gone and almost all the witnesses were dead. December 17, 2014. He is one of three people executed for the crime, Sentenced to death following the rape and murder of pregnant 22-year-old Joy Stewart in 1989. We made it easy for you to exercise your right to vote. The 14-year-old black boy was sentenced to death for the murder of two white girls in a segregated mill town in South Carolina, in a trial that lasted less than three hours and reportedly bore no evidence and barely any witness testimonies. Judge Mullen found that Stinney Jr’s confession was “highly likely” to have been coerced by authorities, while few or no witnesses were found to have testified in the trial. On June 16, 1944, George Stinney Jr. walked into the execution chamber at the South Carolina State Penitentiary in Columbia with a Bible under his arm. And in 2013, they filed for a retrial. George Stinney Jr. was only 14 when he was sentenced to death and executed for allegedly assaulting two white girls; on Wednesday, he was exonerated for the crime and his brothers and sisters relieved. George Stinney, Jr.’s death definitely marked one of the darker days in the state of South Carolina’s history, and one of the darker days in the history of these United States as well. "The state, as an entity, has very unclean hands," attorney Miller Shealy argued. GEORGE STINNEY JR. EXONERATED A seventy year-old miscarriage of justice has finally been overturned in a case that involved murder, false accusations and racism. The boy’s family have insisted that he was innocent, and in January they asked a local judge to order a re-trial and clear Stinney Jr’s name, claiming there was new evidence about the crime. George Stinney Jr. appears in an undated police booking photo. George Stinney Jr, a black teenager executed in 1944 for the murder of two white girls, has been exonerated for not having received a fair trial. In 1944, George Stinney was convicted of murdering two white girls in Alcolu, South Carolina. They made a determination based on facts we don't have today that George Stinney should be detained," Finney said. Stinney Jr had been arrested and executed within the space of around three months. George Junius Stinney Jr. (October 21, 1929 – June 16, 1944), was a 14-year-old African-American boy who was convicted, in a proceeding later vacated as an unfair trial in 2014, of murdering two white girls, Betty June Binnicker, age 11, and Mary Emma Thames, age 7, in his hometown of Alcolu, South Carolina. You can say this happened 76 years ago, or you can say this happened only 76 years ago. George Stinney, Jr. was 14 years old when executed by the State of South Carolina. @media only screen and (min-width : 500px) {.ethanmobile { display: none; }}, Like Us On Facebook | Follow Us On Twitter | Contact The Author. On the day of his arrest, George was interrogated in a small room by himself, without his parents or an attorney present. This update is bittersweet. Tags from the story Betty June Binnicker and Mary Emma Thames , Charles Plowden , Death Penalty , Execution , Fourteenth Circuit Court in South Carolina , George Stinney , Innocent , Judge Carmen T. Mullen Today is National Voter Registration Day! [1] Flickorna, 7 och . ] George Stinney Jr. at 14-years-old. Judge throws out teen’s murder conviction 70 years after his execution. In bittersweet news, on Tuesday, 16 December 2014, Judge Carmen Tevis Mullen overturned the conviction of George Junius Stinney, Jr. who was executed by the state of South Carolina in 1944.At 14 years old, George Stinney Jr Stinney was convicted of murdering two white girls in Alcolu, South Carolina. In 1944, it took 12 white men 10 minutes to … Even though this was an obvious act of state violence with no justification by even the laws of that time, George Stinney Jr. wasn’t exonerated until 2014, 70 years after his death. FILE - This undated file photo provided by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History shows George Stinney Jr., the youngest person ever executed in South Carolina, in 1944. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. But an attorney arguing on behalf of Stinney said the state handled the case so badly that it merited another look. On June 16, 1944, 14-year … Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. Judge Carmen Mullen vacated the conviction against Stinney on Wednesday, WISTV reports. BEAUFORT - S.C. - A 14-year-old South Carolina boy who was quickly convicted of murder and then executed in 1944 has been posthumously exonerated. George Junius Stinney Jr, född 21 oktober 1929 i Sumter, South Carolina, död 16 juni 1944 i Columbia, South Carolina, var en afroamerikansk pojke som avrättades vid 14 års ålder för mordet på två vita flickor. George Stinney Jr, a black teenager executed in 1944 for the murder of two white girls, has been exonerated for not having received a fair trial. George Stinney could be exonerated as a result of this evidence. Hands, '' attorney Miller Shealy argued experts said he “ suffered greatly ”, executed by the of... 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