Anthony Ray Hinton Released After Almost 30 Years On Death Row
After almost 30 years on death row, Anthony Ray Hinton was released from prison today after the prosecution dropped the charges. Family and friends sobbed and rushed to hug Anthony Ray Hinton as he walked out of the jail in downtown Birmingham free man. Hinton been imprisoned since he was convicted of murdering two men in 1985.
At 58, he has spent the majority of his life awaiting death in a 5 by 8 cell.
“They just didn’t take me from my family and friends,” Hinton told the crowd assembled for his release. “They had every intention of executing me for something I didn’t do.”
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court granted Hinton a new trial. And new ballistic testing showed the bullets at the crime scene didn’t match bullets found in Hinton’s house. This week prosecutors decided not to retry the case.
Hinton says he has always prayed for the families of the victims who have also been denied justice.
“His case, in my judgment, is a case study in what’s wrong with our system,” said Bryan Stevenson, executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative. “He was convicted because he’s poor. We have a system that treats you better if you are rich and guilty than if you are poor and innocent and his case proves it. We have a system that is compromised by racial bias and his case proves it.” EJI represented Hinton.
Outside the jail, Hinton’s sister, Elizabeth Hinton, says their mother always maintained he was innocent and prayed he would be released. And though she’s not alive to see it, she was right.
Mentally ill people are stuck in jail because they can’t get treatment. Here’s what’s to know
Hundreds of people across Alabama await a spot in the state’s increasingly limited facilities, despite a consent decree requiring the state to address delays in providing care for people who are charged with crimes but deemed too mentally ill to stand trial. But seven years since the federal agreement, the problem has only worsened.
Ivey appoints Will Parker to Alabama Supreme Court
Parker fills the court seat vacated by Bill Lewis who was tapped by President Donald Trump for a federal judgeship. The U.S. Senate last month confirmed Lewis as a U.S. district judge.
How Alabama Power kept bills up and opposition out to become one of the most powerful utilities in the country
In one of the poorest states in America, the local utility earns massive profits producing dirty energy with almost no pushback from state regulators.
No more Elmo? APT could cut ties with PBS
The board that oversees Alabama Public Television is considering disaffiliating from PBS, ending a 55-year relationship.
Nonprofit erases millions in medical debt across Gulf South, says it’s ‘Band-Aid’ for real issue
Undue Medical Debt has paid off more than $299 million in medical debts in Alabama. Now, the nonprofit warns that the issue could soon get worse.
Roy Wood Jr. on his father, his son and his new book
Actor, comedian and writer Roy Wood Jr. is out with a new book -- "The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir." He writes about his experience growing up in Birmingham, losing his dad as a teenager and all the lessons he learned from various father figures throughout his career.
