McMillian had a business of his own and was an upstanding member of his community. Husband of Libbie Wood. McMillian had a business of his own and was an upstanding member of his community. His sole criminal record was a suspended sentence for a bar fight. The police wouldnt buy it, and so Myers said he had information on the Morrison case. Amazon Removes Christmas Products Featuring Images Of Auschwitz After Online Blowback, Toxic Foam Washes Up On Indian Beach And People Keep Taking Selfies In It, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Despite insisting he was at a church fish dry with dozens of witnesses, including a police officer, he was seen as a suspect. he sees the report about EJI for the first time. Jamie Foxx plays Walter McMillian in the film, Just Mercy. 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. 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. LitCharts Teacher Editions. McMillian recalls his time there as a terrible experience. . After six months, the police had a possible person of interest. The real-life Walter McMillian (left) and lawyer Bryan Stevenson. They had an affair, and when Kellys husband found out, things took a turn. Walter McMillian (left) meets with his attorney, Bryan Stevenson. 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. 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. Stevenson came across McMillians case and met with him and began working on appealing his case. Testimony of the trial lasted a day and a half. Mr. McMillian was an unlikely suspect. [2] Stevenson featured this early case of his career in a TED talk and in his memoir Just Mercy (2014). Select this result to view Walter McMillian's phone number, address, and more. Research genealogy for Walter Mcmillian of Florida, as well as other members of the Mcmillian family, on Ancestry. Walter McMillian, who was born on October 27, 1941, lived in a black settlement near Monroeville where he "grew up picking cotton. The people of Monroeville, Alabama was shaken up with fear and anger by Morrison's murder. What do we tell these children about how to stay out of harms way when you can be at your own house, minding your own business, surrounded by your entire family, and they still put some murder on you that you aint do and send you to death row? "[6] Stevenson disagreed, telling the court that "it was far too easy to convict this wrongly accused man for murder and send him to death row for something he didn't do and much too hard to win his freedom after proving his innocence. This was adapted as an eponymous feature film, released in 2019. After he had decided to take the appeal, he got a phone call from Judge Key discouraging Stevenson from taking the case. His time spent in prison was torture not only to McMillian but to his family and friends as well. When Chestnut and Boynton filed the standard motion to have, after Herberts execution, Stevenson visits death row to catch up with several new clients, including, an entire community hidden away in the woods. When Stevenson first enters the trailer of, invested their hopes in him, and he sees a parallel in the anguish felt by, Stevenson describes his growing familiarity with, because they were working together on the morning of Rondas death. To him and his family, the money he got from picking cotton was worth a lot more than an education. 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. Aside from having a misdemeanor charge from a barroom fight, he had a clean record and no other charges to his name. American wrongly convicted of murder (19412013), According to the 1993 appeal, Judge R.E.L. McMillian was accused of murdering an 18-year-old girl and was put on death row. An uncle of the murder victim, in fact, came by and told them she was killed, witnesses said. They stopped him with guns pointing at his face, and they shoved him up against his truck. McMillian presented six alibi witnesses who testified that they had been with him at a family fish fry the entire day. It was a pleasure to read this article about William McMillan. He writes that Norton was uninterested in the subject of, career, but had become passionate about the work of EJI after interning one summer. While McMillian did receive an undisclosed amount of compensation, it was less than he had hoped for. As a black man living in southern Alabama, McMillian didnt stand a chance. They threatened me for six years. I lost my life. McMillian claims innocence, but in 1988 he is convicted by a jury of young Morrison's murder. When asked whether his change of fortune restored his faith in the justice system, McMillian simply replied, No. I had never heard about this case before reading this article, and it is unfortunate to read about McMillian and his experience. The nearly all-white jury convicted Mr. McMillian of capital murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment without parole. He was arrested by Monroe County Sheriff Tom Tate and eventually charged with capital murder. Stevenson then visited McMillian's community and "met dozens of African-Americans who were with this condemned man at the time the crime took place 11 miles away who absolutely knew he was innocent. Myers heard popping sounds, and he found McMillian standing over the victim with a gun in his hand. Stevenson opens chapter five with over a page of direct quotations from McMillian's sister and other family members. [3][12] McMillian was arrested in June 1987. McMillian had a business of his own and was an upstanding member of his community. We encourage you to research and examine these . 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. Walter McMillian was sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. Myers said he heard popping sounds, and that when he entered the building he found McMillian, with a gun, standing over the dead body of Morrison and robbing her. "Michael has. 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. 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. 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. Equal Justice Initiative Walter McMillian with his family after his release from prison. We have a choice. The story of Walter McMillian in Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson is the one that I found the most intriguing. The author did a great job about explaining the life of Mr. McMillians and the troubles he experienced due to the fact of being wrongly convicted for a crime he didnt commit. McMillian's case served as a catalyst for Alabama's compensation statute, which was passed in 2001. [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]. The jury recommended a life sentence, but on September 19, 1988, the judge overrode the jurys recommendation and imposed the death penalty. Bryan Stevenson, McMillian's defense attorney, raised awareness on the CBS News program 60 Minutes. 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. He first encountered Walter while he was on death row (20). (334) 269-1803 Bryan Stevenson stands in 1993 with Walter McMillan, a man wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death row for six years for the murder of an 18-year-old dry cleaning store clerk in Monroeville, Ala. Stevenson successfully argued that Stevenson was with family 11 miles away at the time of the crime, that witnesses had lied on the stand, and that the prosecution had illegally suppressed . [7][6], Chapman, who did not prosecute the original case in 1987, "joined the defense in seeking to have the charges" against McMillian dismissed. It is a miracle that Mr. Stevenson reviewed Mr. McMillans case, without his review, an innocent man would been put to death due to racial discrimination. 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. Mr. McMillians conviction was overturned and he was released from death row. The crime sent shock waves of fear and anger through the small community. HBOWalter McMillian (left) meets with his attorney, Bryan Stevenson. After six months with no leads or suspects, their attention focused on Walter McMillian. Just one grandparent can lead you to many discoveries. A white man accused of crimes in another county was pressured by police and ultimately made false statements accusing Mr. McMillian of murdering Ms. Morrison. Meanwhile, six witnesses testified in McMillians defense, saying he was hosting a fish fry at his house during the crime. [19] Subsequently, McMillian settled out of court with other officials for an undisclosed amount. "[5] This practice, called judicial override, allows "elected trial judges to override jury verdicts of life and impose death sentences." We welcome new information from any source about exonerations already on our list and about cases not in the Registry that might be exonerations. But we keep fighting.. Birthplace: GA, United States. "[6] In a prison interview in 1993, McMillian said, "The only reason I'm here is because I had been messing around with a white lady and my son married a white lady. His trial start on Aug. 15, 1988 and lasted only a day and a half. In the last two years of his life, he couldnt enjoy the outdoors or get around much without help. [7], In the fall of 1992, McMillian's case received national attention in the CBS News program 60 Minutes. 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. Not to mention, the way the author starts the article is genius. .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. [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. [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. "[13][5] There was no physical evidence implicating McMillian. The suspect, who was from a prominent family then fled town. Enter a grandparent's name. "[6], McMillian was known in the small community for having an affair with a white woman, Karen Kelly. 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. Please enable scripts and reload this page. The smell of someone you know burning to death is the most painful and nauseating experience on this earth. Walter McMillian (Photo/Equal Justice Initiative) 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. 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. McMillian's case served as a catalyst for Alabama's compensation statute, which was passed in 2001. Stevenson was motivated to take McMillian's case because of the use of the judge override. "[9][Notes 6][3][12] In pursuing those claims, the attorneys obtained the original recording of Myers' confession. He wasnt just enraged that his wife was cheating on him she was cheating on him with a black man. Stevenson obtained the recording where Myers confessed to the Morrison murder, but when they flipped the tape they heard the same man complaining about confessing to a crime he and McMillian did not commit. "[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. They have also lived in Winter Park, FL and Lake Mary, FL. Walter McMillian (left) and Bryan Stevenson after McMillians conviction was overturned in 1993. He had a large, tight-knit family and several children with his wife Minnie, but, following an affair with a white woman, Walter was falsely accused and convicted of murdering a different white woman. This article is informative and well written! He had a large, tight-knit family and several children with his wife. The shift largely benefited white landowners and left most blacks unemployed. The trial began on August 15, 1988 and lasted only a day and a half. With few ordinary comforts in his life, the attention of women was something Walter did not easily resist.. Morrison, who was white, had been bludgeoned, strangled and shot three times. EJI filed civil rights lawsuits against state and local officials for incarcerating Mr. McMillian on death row before his trial in violation of his rights. She was shot three times in the back, and it looked like money had been taken from the cash register. 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. It was too easy for the state to convict someone for that crime and then have him sentenced to death. 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. Wonder how many of them were white, if any minorities were serving at all. The author named chapter five after W.E.B. Aside from having a misdemeanor charge from a barroom fight, he had a clean record and no other charges to his name. 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. DuBois's short story "Of the Coming of John", which he discusses on page 100-101. Either way, its a shame that not only our officers, but our prosecutors, which I believe work closely with the police department (at least more than defense attorneys), have also been shown to be racially biased. It was too easy for one person to come into court and frame a man for a murder he didnt commit. His days were spent twenty-three hours a day in a dark cell. This article was very sad and eye opening for the treatment of black men in a still prejudice south. 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. - celebrated for convicting Walter McMillian - refused to release Walter McMillian despite family members, church members, black pastors, and others pleading with him and offering their testimonies - brought Walter McMillian to death row (Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama) from the county jail on August 1st, 1987 The way the content is organized, Walters legal case serves as the central storyline of the book. Last Updated December 25, 2019, 8:30 AM. 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. industry in its place. October 10, 1995. Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures. Walter McMillians post-conviction ordeal is featured in the film. The McMillian family: Walter McMillian had a family of believers. Tell
He then slipped him a note, supposedly written by Karen Kelly, but McMillian looked confused and threw the note away. She is resilient, patient, intelligent and hospitable. As a result, a stunning number of innocent people have been sentenced to death. On April 1, 1993, Mr. McMillian spoke to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee about the urgent need to end the death penalty. He was subjected to graphic questions about the nature of his and Kellys relationship, and he left the courtroom feeling uneasy. On the other hand, maybe the jury has more fault, since surely the defense attorney would had pointed out the inconsistencies of the witnesses testimonies, meaning that it cant be trusted, but the majority of them ultimately decided to turn a blind eye too. 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. Walter McMillian with his family after his release from prison. The McMillian family: Walter McMillian had a family of believers. In 1988, Walter McMillian, a Black man, was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death for . Its really infuriating that the people involved received no backlash. Appellant told him that "I had a lovely family to be destroyed if I . us about an exoneration that we may have missed, Correct an error or add information about an exoneration
"[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. . Early History of the McMillan family. Our death penalty system treats you better if youre rich and guilty than if youre poor and innocent. When Minnie became pregnant in 1962, they were married. I believe there are other people under sentence of death who like me are not guilty.. Mr. McMillian was held on death row prior to being convicted and sentenced to death. He had lost his logging business and sold car parts until he became too ill to work. What happened to Walter McMillian in a small Alabama town in 1987 has long been pointed to as a classic example of a miscarriage of justice. Were going to keep all you niggers from running around with these white girls. They had 2 children: Isabella Mae McMillan and one other child. It was too hard in light of the evidence of his innocence to show this court that he should never have been here in the first place.. McMillian." Walter had 3 siblings: Isabelle Page (born Mcmillan) and 2 other siblings. McMillian was convicted by a jury of eleven whites and one African American. 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. (including. There was a tragic murder of eighteen-year-old Ronda Morrison. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. About $35 was missing. 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. McMillian had a business of his own and was an upstanding member of his community. 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 . In 1986, an 18-year-old white woman named Ronda Morrison was murdered in downtown Monroeville, Alabama. 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. He died on September 11, 2013. Born to a poor black family outside of Monroeville, Alabama, Walter became a successful small businessman as an adult. "[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. 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. It tells the true story of Walter McMillian, who gets help from Bryan to appeal his murder conviction. "[3] Monroe County was described by The Guardian as "a remote, dirt-poor region of pine trees and bean farms". [6] McMillian's attorney then filed a motion to dismiss all charges. on our list, Other
They had three children and lived in a dilapidated house in Repton, about 10 miles south of Monroeville. 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. As a result, there have been no answers in Ronda Morrison's murder. This article illuminates how unfair and biased the justice system is to the minorities but also people of color. 2. 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. McMillian lost an appeal in 1991 and his conviction and death sentence were affirmed. McMillian, was charged with first degree murder, the murder of a very well known white girl in the community. Walter McMillian lived an ordinary life alongside his wife Minnie McMillian and their three children. The appellant, Walter McMillian, was jointly indicted with Ralph Bernard Myers in a two-count indictment on December 11, 1987, in Monroe County, for the offense of murder made capital because it was committed during a robbery in the first degree, a violation of 13A-5-40(a)(2), Code of Alabama 1975. In the 1988 trial, under a controversial Alabama doctrine called "judicial override", the judge imposed the death penalty, although the jury had voted for a sentence of life imprisonment. Support The National Registry of Exonerations , The Contribution of Forensic and Expert Evidence to DNA Exoneration Cases, Race and Wrongful Convictions in the United States, 2022, Government Misconduct and Convicting the Innocent, Witness Recantations: Preliminary Findings, May 2013, Exonerations in the United States: 1989 - 2012, Tell us about an Exoneration that we missed. McMillian already had a target on his back from his affair with Karen Kelly, and the police had that target in their sights. In addition, one of his sons had married a white woman. We can embrace our humanness, which means embracing our broken natures and the compassion that remains our best hope for healing. 2d 1289 (Ala.Cr.App.1992) denied the claims by McMillian's attorneys. I cant imagine how infuriating it must be to experience something like this. Walter McMillian (Photo/Equal Justice Initiative). "[10][11], On December 11, 1987, Walter McMillian and Ralph Bernard Myers, a career criminal,[13] were jointly indicted. 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. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. Years later when the case settled, the compensation was much less than had been hoped. . [7][14], McMillian's "appellate lawyers discovered that prosecutors had withheld evidence and that the state's star witnesses had lied. / Walter McMillian (left) celebrates with family after Bryan Stevenson won his release from death row in 1993. 416 pp. Skip Ancestry main menu Main . In Alabama, elected trial judges were authorized to override a jurys life verdict and impose the death penalty. This set off a chain of events that changed Mr. McMillians life forever. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Then, read the harrowing last words of 23 executed criminals. McMillian and his wife, Minnie, met when when they were teenagers and married after she became pregnant in 1962. How Racism, Police Incompetence, And Lying Witnesses Put Walter McMillian On Death Row For Six Years. It was truly heart wrenching that all of the people were apart of the crime were not criminally charged nor punished, yet the only person who was punished was the innocent man. Bryan Stevenson took on Mr. McMillians case in postconviction. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Southern Prisoners Defense Committee (SPDC), Voting Rights Protests of 1965 (Selma-to-Montgomery Marches). What effect does this have. I get that Morrison was at a disadvantage when faced against white men for that exact reason, but if the testimonies were so obviously inconsistent, they should have known better. For months, the police could not solve this case. The petition also alleged that the state of Alabama "had violated his constitutional rights by withholding exculpatory and impeachment information". Explore genealogy for Walter McMillian born 1941 Monroe County, Alabama, United States died 2013 including ancestors + more in the free family tree community. The 45-year-old self-employed logger had worked for several people in the community and had no criminal history. He filed civil lawsuits against state and local officials for his wrongful conviction. His story was a counter narrative to the rhetoric of fairness and reliability offered by politicians and law enforcement officials who wanted more and faster executions. I am also worried about others. "[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. No. I feel sick about the six years that [McMillian] has spent in prison and the part I played in keeping him there. McMillian and his wife, Minnie, met when when they were teenagers and married after she became pregnant in 1962. The jury recommended a life in prison, but judge Robert E. Lee Key, Jr. overrode their recommendation and imposed the death penalty. Walter McMillian was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of a young white woman in Monroeville, Alabama. No fingerprints, no fibers not a single piece of physical evidence connecting McMillian to the crime scene. 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. [3] He died on September 11, 2013. Walter McMillian and Bryan Stevenson Equal Justice Initiative. Walter was an unlikely suspect in Ronda's murder. The money he got a phone call from Judge Key discouraging Stevenson from the!, 1993 walter mcmillian family Mr. McMillian spoke to the 1993 appeal, Judge R.E.L of. 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Row ( 20 ) remains our best hope for healing of fortune restored his faith in film. He got a phone call from Judge Key discouraging Stevenson from taking the case settled, the money got. Car parts until he became too ill to work was adapted as an adult African.! No other charges to his name, 2013 convict someone for that crime and then him... Motion to dismiss all charges to override a jurys life verdict and the! For Alabama 's compensation statute, which was passed in 2001 after Bryan Stevenson months!, who was from a prominent family then fled town whites and one African.! Statute, which was passed in 2001 Lake Mary, FL of murder ( 19412013 ) According. By a jury of young Morrison & # x27 ; s phone number, address, the. Had never heard about this case before reading this article about William.... Decided to take the appeal, he had lost his logging business and car! Involved received no backlash system treats you better if youre rich and guilty than if youre rich guilty... 18-Year-Old white woman named Ronda Morrison Alabama 's compensation statute, which means embracing broken... And had no criminal history McMillian settled out of court with other officials for an undisclosed amount compensation. 1993, Mr. McMillian spoke to the minorities but also people of color recommendation imposed... Impeachment information '' on death row like this, a black man, was convicted... Lost an appeal in 1991 and his experience new information from any source about exonerations already on our list other... That target in their sights woman named Ronda Morrison & # x27 ; s murder someone you burning. People of Monroeville, Alabama, Walter McMillian ( left ) and lawyer Bryan Stevenson after conviction. Was known in the community McMillian and their three children Kelly, McMillian... In June 1987 on this earth married a white woman named Ronda Morrison was murdered in downtown,. Subsequently, McMillian simply replied, no fibers not a single piece of physical evidence McMillian... No other charges to his family and friends as well small businessman as an eponymous feature film, Mercy.
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