Home; . In a 2015 NPR interview, Stevenson described how that phone call was a "very, very bizarre start to my career and to the work that I was doing in Alabama." Appellant told him that "I had a lovely family to be destroyed if I . The fact that this man was innocent, and everyone knew, he was still guilty. They had an affair, and when Kellys husband found out, things took a turn. The police wouldnt buy it, and so Myers said he had information on the Morrison case. Despite insisting he was at a church fish dry with dozens of witnesses, including a police officer, he was seen as a suspect. This story is incredibly heartbreaking and sadly not very uncommon. How famous was Albert Walter McMillian? The crime sent shock waves of fear and anger through the small community. In November 1988, 28-year-old attorney Bryan Stevenson, a Harvard Law School and Harvard School of Government graduate, who was the director of the newly formed Alabama Capital Representation Resource Center in Montgomery, took on the task of appealing the case. Judge Robert E. Lee Key, Jr., "had McMillian await trial on death row, as if a death sentence were a foregone conclusion, and relocated the trial from a county that was forty per cent black to an overwhelmingly white one," Baldwin County, where 86 percent of the residents were white, because the case had "generated extraordinary publicity. After reading about the remarkable life and work of attorney Bryan Stevenson, whos saved hundreds from prison, learn all about the case of the Central Park Five, a group of non-white teenagers who were wrongfully convicted of brutally raping a white woman in the 1980s. And this case had given him lots of fodder. With no leads for six months, the police focused their attention on Walter McMilllian. With few ordinary comforts in his life, the attention of women was something Walter did not easily resist.. 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? "Michael has. . Walter married Maggie Ella McMillan (born Miller) on month day 1908, at age 24 at marriage place. Another 267 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1775, 1790, 1452, 1454, 1540, 1555, 1670, 1753, 1670, 1745 and 1745 are included under the topic Early McMillan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE Death, Life, and Justice in a Southern Town By Pete Earley Bantam. Walter is related to Jane Marie Price and Jaline Renae McMillan as well as 3 additional people. The following week, on March 2, Circuit Court Judge Pamela W. Baschab ruled on the motion, dismissing all charges against McMillian. Equal Justice InitiativeWalter McMillian with his family after his release from prison. When Minnie became pregnant in 1962, they were married. McMillian recalls his time there as a terrible experience. Myers already pleaded guilty as an accomplice in Morrisons murder and received a 30-year prison sentence avoiding a possible death sentence for the Pittman murder. In November 1992, he told CBS News 60 Minutes that Alabama was preparing to execute the wrong. Mr. McMillian was arrested, and in an extraordinary move, was immediately . App.1991). I think everybody needs to understand what happened because what happened today could happen tomorrow if we dont learn some lessons from this, said Stevenson on the day McMillians charges were dismissed. Maggie was born on October 8 1888, in Sunnyside, Belledune, Restigouche, New Brunswick, Canada. - 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 "[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. During their first year together, they almost starved, with Walter working as a field hand for $14 per week. 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 " 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. It was pointed out that Monroeville, Alabama, was "best known as the home of Harper Lee, whose To Kill a Mockingbird told a painful story of race and justice in the small-town Jim Crow South. He knew it, his family knew it, and his friends knew it. Stevenson recounts the story Myers gave during. Walter McMillian died in 2013: he was 71-years-old. Despite having various witnesses on his side, it seemed useless. [5] In 1986 he had been married to Minnie McMillian for 25 years and they had nine children. McMillian already had a target on his back from his affair with Karen Kelly, and the police had that target in their sights. [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]. Advertisement. Walters sense of humor hadnt failed him despite his six years on death row. This story was very sad to read, and unfortunately a clear reality in todays times with our criminal justice system in the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against McMillian, holding that a county sheriff could not be sued for money damages. Tate replied, "I don't give a damn what you say or what you do. McMillian was accused of murdering an 18-year-old girl and was put on death row. A week later, prosecutors dismissed the charges. "[3] Monroe County was described by The Guardian as "a remote, dirt-poor region of pine trees and bean farms". This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McMillan research. 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. The petition also alleged that the state of Alabama "had violated his constitutional rights by withholding exculpatory and impeachment information". Police were skeptical that Myers and McMillian were really accomplices, and so they conducted an experiment. In Alabama, Monroeville, 1986, Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), a member of Monroevile's Black community and owner of a tree felling company, was arrested for the murder of 18-year-old girl Ronda Morrison at the local cleaners. When she was five years old, her mother died of consumption, weakened from the grueling delivery of Mary's younger sister and heartbroken by the baby's untimely death. Suddenly, State Troopers, city cars, sheriffs, and deputies surrounded his car. Born to a poor black family outside of Monroeville, Alabama, Walter became a successful small businessman as an adult. She flirted with him, and at first he didnt think much of it, but then he succumbed. All he could do was sit there and listen as three witnesses for the prosecution lied in their testimonies. I have survived these six long years, but I am a different man. He explained the horror of seeing seven other men executed during his time at Alabamas Holman Prison: I experienced the executions with the greatest pain and with enormous fear about whether this would happen to me. Walter often sought better work to support his family. McMillian, who had "no prior felony convictions",[12] was arrested by newly elected Sheriff Tom Tate, who was under pressure to find a suspect. At the time of her murder, Walter McMillian was at a church fish fry, where he was seen by dozens of witnesses, one of whom was a police officer.[10][11]. On March 2, 1993, prosecutors dismissed charges against McMillian and he was released. But the jury 11 white members and one black member took the prosecutions word. Research genealogy for Walter Mcmillian of Florida, as well as other members of the Mcmillian family, on Ancestry. The nearly all-white jury convicted Mr. McMillian of capital murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment without parole. 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. The officials involved in prosecuting McMillian received no punishment or removal from their positions. They had three children and lived in a dilapidated house in Repton, about 10 miles south of Monroeville. Stevenson presented the newfound evidence at hearings and appeals before the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. McMillian was convicted by a jury of eleven whites and one African American. Further investigation revealed that McMillians truck had only been converted to a low-rider six months after the crime took place, and that prosecutors had concealed information about a witness who had seen the victim alive after the time the prosecutors claimed that McMillian had killed her. Walters case complicated the debate in very graphic ways. [6] McMillian's conviction and death sentence were affirmed on appeal in 1991 in McMillian v. State, 594 So. It was too easy for the state to convict someone for that crime and then have him sentenced to death. Seven months passed and every one of the polices leads went nowhere. There was a tragic murder of eighteen-year-old Ronda Morrison. His conviction was wrongfully obtained, based on police coercion and perjury. [6][7][8] Both McMillian and the attorney he had in 1987, J. L. Chestnut, "contended that Mr. McMillian's relationships alone had made him a suspect. Research genealogy for Walter McMillian of Mississippi, USA, as well as other members of the McMillian family, on Ancestry. Walter McMillian was married to Minnie McMillian for 25 years. It was too easy for one person to come into court and frame a man for a murder he didnt commit. . SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES No. "[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. "[10][11], On December 11, 1987, Walter McMillian and Ralph Bernard Myers, a career criminal,[13] were jointly indicted. We encourage you to research and examine these . In 1992, Ed Bradley reported that the wrong man might have been sitting on Alabama's death row. 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. American wrongly convicted of murder (19412013), According to the 1993 appeal, Judge R.E.L. But then police arrested Ralph Myers, a white man with a drug problem and a lengthy criminal record who was also a new friend of Karen Kellys, McMillians ex. information about the Registry, Perjury or False Accusation, Official Misconduct. In his police interview, he made up all sorts of wild stories, like how the sheriff of a nearby county murdered Pittman. [2] Stevenson featured this early case of his career in a TED talk and in his memoir Just Mercy (2014). Walter with friends and Stevenson The McMillian family was known to be a "large, tight-knit family" made up Walter, his wife, Minnie, and five children. Until his dying wish he did not receive justice for his wrongful conviction. McMillian was looking at two options for his sentence: death by electrocution, or life in prison. Grandfather. "[9][Notes 6][3][12] In pursuing those claims, the attorneys obtained the original recording of Myers' confession. Walter McMillian with his family after his release from prison. 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. But as much as his family fought against the system, the system had a way of taking hold. He implicated not just himself, but McMillian as well. 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. We in the African American community have always known that the criminal justice system is a threat, that it will take people who are innocent or wrongly convicted and it will treat people unfairly, Stevenson said in an interview with Essence magazine. McMillian is portrayed by Jamie Foxx and Stevenson is played by Michael B. Jordan, the "Black Panther" star who has used his considerable leverage to bring the story to the screen. Weeks later, at around 10:45 a.m. on Nov. 1, 1986, 18-year-old Ronda Morrison a white college student who was beloved by the local community was found dead at a Monroeville dry cleaners, where she worked part-time. 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. The jury then found McMillian guilty despite that there was no physical evidence that linked him to the crime. They have also lived in Winter Park, FL and Lake Mary, FL. Part of the evidence revealed a tape where a witness confessed to having been pressured to frame McMillan. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against McMillian in a civil lawsuit filed against state and local officials in Alabama, citing that a county sheriff cant be sued for money damages. McMillian's case served as a catalyst for Alabama's compensation statute, which was passed in 2001. According to NYU (where he's an Aronson Family Professor of Criminal Justice), he started representing death row inmates from the Deep South in 1985, and founded the nonprofit law organization Equal Justice Initiative in 1989. A deputy then revealed to McMillian that the initial charge was only a way to impound his truck. "[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. Ariana Brockington. This is the true story of Walter McMillian, the wrongfully convicted man behind the film Just Mercy. Walter McMillian (left) meets with his attorney, Bryan Stevenson. The best example of racial bias and prejudice is Walter McMillian's case because it shows both extreme racial biases and extreme racial prejudices against McMillian because of the color of his skin. The sheriff arranged for Mr. McMillian to be placed on death row before his trialwhen he hadnt even been convicted of a crime. 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. We have all hurt someone and have been hurt. Following his death penalty sentence, Stevenson took. Our death penalty system treats you better if youre rich and guilty than if youre poor and innocent. 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. Thirty-six of the nearly two hundred convicts on death row are there because of override."[5]. 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. McMillian, freed from death row in 1993, died September 11, 2013, at age 71. He was subjected to graphic questions about the nature of his and Kellys relationship, and he left the courtroom feeling uneasy. But when the word got out about their affair, he grew worried. Walter McMillian photographed outside of his home surrounded by family and friends. memorial page for Albert Walter McMillian (13 Oct 1862-2 Oct 1948), Find a Grave Memorial ID 7915499, citing Oakland Cemetery, Saint Paul . Little did he know that the murder of Ronda Morrison would impact his life in a major way later on.2, On June 7, 1987 at around 11:00 a.m, McMillian was peacefully driving down Route 84. [7][Notes 7], McMillian later developed dementia, believed to have been brought on by the trauma of imprisonment. Within weeks, McMillian was transferred to a maximum-security state prison in Atmore, Alabama. "[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. He came to attention because he had an affair with a married white woman. You know theyll try to kill you if you actually get to the bottom of everything. Then, read the harrowing last words of 23 executed criminals. During his interrogation, police said that they had witnesses who would testify that he had committed the Morrison murder along with Walter McMillian, a 46-year old African-American man who was notorious in the community because he had a white girlfriend. And 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.. [7][6], Chapman, who did not prosecute the original case in 1987, "joined the defense in seeking to have the charges" against McMillian dismissed. The second best result is Walter McMillian age 70s in Orlando, FL in the Holden Heights neighborhood. 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. The story of Walter McMillian in Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson is the one that I found the most intriguing. McMillian presented six alibi witnesses who testified that they had been with him at a family fish fry the entire day. After he had decided to take the appeal, he got a phone call from Judge Key discouraging Stevenson from taking the case. [emailprotected], Mr. McMillians testimony specifically addressed the failure to provide adequate legal help to people in prison and on death row. They convicted McMillian of first-degree murder. [3] A journalist described him as a "black pulpwood worker". The upcoming film, Just Mercy, focuses on a petition for a new trial led by Walter McMillians lawyer, Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative. In the case Walter McMillian v. State proceedings it was recorded that Myers identified Larry Ikner, and Thomas Tate, as the law enforcement officers. About $35 was missing. The visits from his family were the only thing getting him by in his time there. Each testimony had inconsistencies in their stories, but that did not matter. Birthplace: GA, United States. About $35 was missing. 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. This set off a chain of events that changed Mr. McMillians life forever. In 1987 Walter McMillian (played by Foxx) was convicted of killing a white woman who was shot multiple times in the back at a dry cleaners. In the 1988 trial, under a controversial Alabama doctrine called "judicial override", the judge imposed the death . Walter McMillian lived an ordinary life alongside his wife Minnie McMillian and their three children. Just one grandparent can lead you to many discoveries. Less than two years later, he was convicted of murder a murder he didnt commit. October 10, 1995. TRIAL: Defense asked for the trial to be moved from Monroe County to Baldwin County in Alabama due to the publicity. Judge Robert E. Lee Key overrode the jurys sentence of life imprisonment and sentenced Mr. McMillian to death by electrocution. Key had retired by 1993, During the 1993 appeal it was revealed that, "Two mechanics, Willie Nettles and Clay Kast, testified that they had modified the appellant's truck to convert it to a low-rider and that they did not do this work until several months after the commission of the crime at Jackson Cleaners. This article is informative and well written! All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. Birthdate: estimated between 1837 and 1897. McMillian and his wife, Minnie, met when when they were teenagers and married after she became pregnant in 1962. Mr. McMillians conviction was overturned and he was released from death row. Morrison, who was white, had been bludgeoned, strangled and shot three times. Aside from having a misdemeanor charge from a barroom fight, he had a clean record and no other charges to his name. Walter McMillian lived an ordinary life alongside his wife Minnie McMillian and their three children. In 1993, after McMillian had served six years on Alabama's death row, the Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the lower court decision and ruled that he had been wrongfully convicted. Baschab ruled on the Morrison case state Troopers, city cars, sheriffs, and in... 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