8 Black People Who Were Sadly Executed, But Evidence Shows They Were Innocent

Troy Davis, Georgia: Convicted in 1991, Executed in 2011 Troy Davis, despite a compelling presentation of testimony casting doubt on his guilt in the 1989 murder of a police officer, was denied clemency on Sept. 19, 2011, and put to death two days later, after several postponements, as lawyers fought to prove his innocence. Brian Kammer, one of Davis' attorneys, said, "I am utterly shocked and disappointed at the failure of our justice system at all levels to correct a miscarriage of justice." Davis' claims of innocence received international attention, and calls for clemency were made by Pope Benedict XVI, former President Jimmy Carter, former FBI Director William Sessions, former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Norman Fletcher and others. Doubts arose when many prosecution witnesses changed their stories, including accusations pointing to another suspect as the murderer of the police officer in Savannah, Georgia. The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles heard testimony from a juror in Davis' original trial who said she had too much doubt about his guilt and would change her verdict. The board also heard from a witness who originally testified against Davis but has since recanted her testimony. The U.S. Supreme Court delayed the execution to consider final appeals, but then denied a stay. His story is told in the moving book, “I Am Troy Davis.” Larry Griffin, Missouri: Convicted in 1981, Executed in 1995 A yearlong investigation by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund uncovered evidence that Larry Griffin may have been innocent of the crime for which he was executed by the state of Missouri on June 21, 1995. Griffin maintained his innocence until his death, and investigators say his case is among the strongest demonstrations of the execution of an innocent man. The NAACP report notes that a man injured in the same drive-by shooting that claimed the life of Quinton Moss, a St. Louis drug dealer, says Griffin was not involved in the 1980 shooting, and the first police officer on the scene has given a new account that undermines the trial testimony of the only witness who identified Griffin as the killer. Based on its findings, the NAACP has supplied the prosecution with the names of three men it suspects committed the crime, and all three of the suspects are currently in jail for other murders. Prosecutor Jennifer Joyce said she eventually will reopen the investigation to conduct a comprehensive review of the case. "There is no real doubt that we have an innocent person. If we could go to trial on this case, if there was a forum where we could take this to trial, we would win hands down," said University of Michigan law professor Samuel Gross, who supervised the investigation into Griffin's case. Gary Graham, Texas: Convicted in 1981, Executed in 2000 Gary Graham was 17 when he was charged with the 1981 robbery and shooting of Bobby Lambert outside a Houston supermarket. He was convicted primarily on the testimony of one witness, Bernadine Skillern, who said she saw the killer's face for a few seconds through her car windshield, 30 to 40 feet away. Two other witnesses, who both worked at the grocery store and said they got a good look at the assailant, said Graham was not the killer. However, they were never interviewed by Graham's court-appointed attorney, Ronald Mock, and were not called to testify at trial. Three of the jurors who voted to convict Graham signed affidavits saying they would have voted differently had all of the evidence been available. Leo Jones, Florida: Convicted in 1981, Executed in 1998 Leo Jones was convicted of murdering a police officer in Jacksonville, Florida. Jones signed a confession after several hours of police interrogation, but he later insisted the confession was coerced. In the mid-1980s, the police officer who arrested Jones and the detective who took his confession were forced out of uniform for ethical violations. The police officer was later identified by a fellow officer as an "enforcer" who routinely used torture to coerce confessions. Many witnesses came forward pointing to another suspect in the case. Lena Baker, Georgia: Convicted in 1944, Executed in 1945 Sixty years after her execution, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles issued a formal pardon for Lena Baker, a maid who was the only woman executed in the state during the 20th century. The document from the board notes that the parole board's 1945 decision to deny Baker clemency and allow her execution was "a grievous error, as this case called out for mercy." Baker was executed for the murder of Ernest Knight, a white man who hired her. Baker was tried, convicted and sentenced to die in one day by an all-white, all-male jury. Baker said she shot Knight in self-defense after he locked her in his gristmill and threatened her with a metal pipe. The pardon notes that Baker "could have been charged with voluntary manslaughter, rather than murder.” The average sentence for voluntary manslaughter was 15 years in prison. Baker's picture and her last words are currently displayed near the retired electric chair at a museum at Georgia State Prison in Reidsville. Her last words were: "What I done, I did in self-defense, or I would have been killed myself. Where I was I could not overcome it. God has forgiven me. I have nothing against anyone. I picked cotton for Mr. Pritchett, and he has been good to me. I am ready to go. I am one in the number. I am ready to meet my God. I have a very strong conscience." Thomas Griffin and Meeks Griffin, South Carolina: Convicted in 1913, Executed in 1915 The brothers and prominent Black farmers who lived in Chester County, South Carolina, were convicted of the murder of 75-year-old John Q. Lewis, a white Confederate war veteran of Blackstock. The Griffin brothers, two Black men, were convicted of the murder of a white man. Monk Stevenson, another Black man suspected of committing the murder, identified the brothers as the killers. He later admitted the reason he blamed them was because they were wealthy, and he assumed they had the money to escape the charges. The Griffin brothers were completely innocent, and with help from their great-nephew, syndicated radio host Tom Joyner (above, holding the official document), they were officially exonerated by the state in 2009 — 94 years after they were put to death. George Stinney Jr.: Convicted in 1944, Executed in 1944 George Stinney Jr., who was just 14, was the youngest person executed in the U.S. in the 1900s. He was falsely convicted of killing 11-year-old Betty June Binnicker and 7-year-old Mary Emma Thames in deeply segregated Alcolu, South Carolina. He was executed less than three months after the murders. His trial lasted just one day. After the jury needed less than 10 minutes to declare him guilty, no appeals were filed on his behalf. Stinney's family maintained he was innocent, insisting that he was too small to carry out such a crime and too naive to handle the pressure put on him by law enforcement officials. In December of last year, Stinney was exonerated in South Carolina, 70 years later. A judge ruled he was denied due process.

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