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.
Seventy years ago, a 14-year old South Carolina adolescent named George Stinney Jr. was arrested, convicted and executed by the State of South Carolina for the murders to two white girls - 11 year-old Betty June Binnicker and 8 year-old Mary Emma Thames. The 5'1" and 90 pounds. George was electrocuted on June 16, 1944.
It took the State of South Carolina 70 years to realize that young George was too short and lacked the weight to wield the murder weapon - a 15-inch railroad spike that weighed over 20 pounds. South Carolina Circuit Judge Carmen Mullen vacated (overturned or reversed) Stinney's conviction of first-degree murder won December 17, 2014 . . . 70 years, six months and one day after his death. The judge overturned the case based upon the argument that Stinney did not receive a fair trial.
The Stinney case was the basis for David Stout's 1988 novel called "Carolina Skeletons". Stout was awarded the 1989 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel. The novel served as the source for the 1991 television movie of the same name. The movie was directed by John Erman and starred Lou Gossett Jr. Another movie about Stinney called "83 Days" is being made by Pleroma Studios. The movie was written and produced by Ray Brown. And Charles Burnett is the director. This new movie is based upon research and documents largely found by Brown, Sonya Williamson, James Moon and others. The material they found assisted in Stinney's exoneration hearing. The movie will star Danny Glover, Ted Levine and Carl Lumbly.
For more information on the George Stinney Jr. case, here is an ARTICLE about it.
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