walter mcmillian cause of death

[9][10] 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. "[8], 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. 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 later developed dementia, believed to have been brought on by the trauma of imprisonment. Walter’s case was moved from Monroe County to Baldwin County with a significantly lower black population. His conviction was wrongfully obtained, based on police coercion and perjury; in the 1988 trial, under a controversial doctrine called "judicial override", the judge imposed the death penalty, even though the jury imposed a sentence of life imprisonment. Bryan Stevenson Did Get Walter McMillian Exonerated From Death Row. McMillian." The first chapter introduces Walter McMillian and his case of wrongful condemnation on death row. In the last two years of his life, McMillian could neither enjoy the outdoors nor get around without help. McMillian (Jamie Foxx) was an African-American pulpwood worker from Monroeville, Alabama, who was wrongfully convicted of the murder of 18-year-old Ronda Morrison, a white dry-cleaning clerk. "[7][Notes 6][2][11] In pursuing those claims, the attorneys obtained the original recording of Myers' confession. Walter "Johnny D." McMillian (October 27, 1941 – September 11, 2013)[1] was an African-American pulpwood worker from Monroeville, Alabama, who was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death. [8], Six years after the original trial, in an unrelated case, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals found that the prosecutor, District Attorney Theodore Pearson, and Judge Key "had practiced 'intentional racial discrimination' in jury selection. In the case Walter McMillian v. State proceedings it was recorded that Myers identified Larry Ikner, and Thomas Tate, as the law enforcement officers. McMillan — whose story is depicted in the movie “Just Mercy” premiering Christmas Day 2019 — never got the happy ending he deserved after his release … 's office and the Alabama Bureau of Investigation (ABI) had "pressured [Myers] into lying about Mr. Legacy.com is the leading provider of online obituaries for the newspaper industry. [12][8] 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. In 1992, Ed Bradley reported that the wrong man might have been sitting on Alabama's death row. 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. Because of his innocence, Walter had expected to be released. 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. I’ve just turned a lot over to him.”. It was appealed to the United States Supreme Court,[18] which ruled against McMillian, holding that a county sheriff could not be sued for monetary damages. Walter McMillian is a death row inmate Bryan Stevenson tries to help in his 2014 nonfiction book Just Mercy. He died on September 11, 2013. Stevenson was motivated to take McMillian's case because of the use of the judge override. List of wrongful convictions in the United States, "Death of justice in Alabama: Brian Baldwin was condemned to the electric chair by a racist travesty", "Alabama Releases Man Held On Death Row for Six Years", Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, "Double Jeopardy: In Alabama, a judge can override a jury that spares a murderer from the death penalty", "An Alabama Sheriff, a Mystery Check and a Blogger Who Cried Foul", "Alabama frees black man on death row for 6 years - Walter McMillan", "One Lawyer's Fight For Young Blacks And 'Just Mercy, Jamie Foxx in Talks to Join Michael B. Jordan in Legal Drama 'Just Mercy', Equal Justice Initiative - Walter McMillian, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Walter_McMillian&oldid=1006490560, Overturned convictions in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 13 February 2021, at 04:25. He passed away on September 11, 2013. The memorial service plan, eulogy, or authority articulation … No further subtleties have been scholarly on this demise. Michael B. Jordan plays a real-life death-row lawyer defending an accused killer in Alabama ... Alabama, to take on the lost-cause cases of inmates on death row. [4] However, Chapman did not agree that there had been a "deliberate effort to frame Mr. After they could not find answers, they became fixated on Walter McMillian, affectionately known as “Johnny D” to his friends and family. He also filed a case against local and state officials, taking it to the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, McMillian also battled dementia before his death. Now, on the way back, he realizes that the chains he wears feel tighter than they had on the way to the courthouse, and he … Despite insisting he was at a church fish dry with dozens of witnesses, including a police officer, he was seen as a suspect. "[7] D.A. McMillian's case served as a catalyst for Alabama's compensation statute, which was passed in 2001. Soon, he went from being a man who had an interracial affair to someone capable of murder. With the help of a dedicated lawyer, Walter McMillian ultimately uncovered evidence that the star witness at his trial had falsely implicated him. About $35 was missing. McMillian spoke to students, community groups, and elected officials all over the country. According to the Equal Justice Initiative, "[n]o capital sentencing procedure in the United States has come under more criticism as unreliable, unpredictable, and arbitrary than the "judge override. He was convicted of a murder that he did not commit and put on death row. [Cover Picture Courtesy: EJI (Equal Justice Initiative)]. [7], 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. All images property of their respective owners. Walter McMillian was an African-American person that was accused of killing a white woman in Monroeville, Alabama, and was sentenced to death. Walter McMillian. [7], On February 23, 1993, in Walter McMillian v. State in the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, all judges concurred that "the state suppressed exculpatory and impeachment evidence that had been requested by the defense, thus denying the appellant due process of law, requiring the reversal of his conviction and death sentence, and the remand of the case for a new trial. Just Mercy (2019) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. ‘Just Mercy‘ recounts the true story of a man’s trials and tribulations with the legal system where odds are stacked against the minorities. [5][Notes 7], McMillian later developed dementia, believed to have been brought on by the trauma of imprisonment. Stevenson reassures Walter that his best chance will be the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. On April 1, 1993, Walter historically stood before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee speaking of the urgent need to end the death penalty. [9][10], McMillian, who had "no prior felony convictions",[11] was arrested by newly-elected Sheriff Tom Tate who was under pressure to find a suspect. "[4] 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. Walter McMillian’s exoneration put a much-needed spotlight on racial injustice in the criminal justice system, and Bryan Stevenson has dedicated his career to the cause. © 2021 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. "[12][8] There was no physical evidence implicating McMillian. In addition to providing fascinating insight into death row cases and demographics, Mr. Stevenson details helping exonerate Walter McMillan, a death row inmate convicted of killing an 18 year old girl. The following week, on March 2, Circuit Court Judge Pamela W. Baschab ruled on the motion, dismissing all charges against McMillian. And this case had given him lots of fodder. He passed away on September 11, 2013. 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. "[4] 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. He was married to Minnie McMillian for 25 years and they had nine children. Susan Nix Cause Of Death . Stevenson is sure that the suppressed “exculpatory evidence” during Walter’s trial will ensure that he gets an appeal. 2d 1289 (Ala.Cr.App.1992) denied the claims by McMillian's attorneys. The pathologist found that the cause of death was the three gunshot wounds. "[14] The frequency of the judge override has since come under scrutiny: "Nearly seventy Alabama judges have single-handedly ordered an inmate's execution, and collectively they have done so more than a hundred times. Ultimately, in light of the overwhelming amount of evidence proving Walter’s innocence, he was released from Death Row as a free man in 1993. McMillian won his release in 1993. For many death row inmates, it takes years to get the kind of legal representation and investigation necessary to prove your innocence.”, The trauma McMillian faced on death row ultimately led to the early onset of dementia. 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. I believe there are other people under sentence of death who like me are not guilty. After Walter's sentencing, he is brought back to death row. The petition also alleged that the state of Alabama "had violated his constitutional rights by withholding exculpatory and impeachment information". After six years of being on death row, McMillian was finally exonerated in 1993. I’ve had to learn how to live all over again…you try to live and keep going. "[Notes 3][3], On September 19, 1988, Judge Robert E. Lee Key, Jr., overruled the jury's recommendation of a life sentence and imposed the death penalty. 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." His trial lasted less than two days. Actors Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx star in "Just Mercy," Walter McMillian, a wrongfully convicted man whose story serves as a reminder of the … Walter McMillian, who was born on October 27, 1941, lived in a black settlement near Monroeville where he "grew up picking cotton. In the car on the way home from court, McMillian, who died in … "[4][Notes 1][8] McMillian was represented by attorney J. L. Chestnut. Walter McMillian Official misconduct and racial bias led to Mr. McMillian’s wrongful conviction and death sentence. I have to block a lot out because if I didn’t, I’d wind up doing the wrong thing. [2][11] McMillian was arrested in June 1987. In August 1988, a black man named Walter McMillian, known as Johnny D, was sentenced to death for the murder of a white teenage girl in Monroeville, Alabama. "[4] A 2017 article in the New York Times echoed the similarities and drew attention to the fact that Sheriff Tate "has been elected seven times" since the McMillian case "and is in his third decade in office. McMillian had explained to Sheriff Tate shortly after his arrest that he was at the fish fry on the morning of November 1. [7] McMillian was charged with a two-count indictment "for the offense of murder made capital because it was committed during a robbery in the first degree" and the jury recommended a life sentence. [4][5][6] Both McMillian and the attorney he had in 1987, J. L. Chestnut, "contended that Mr. McMillian's relationships alone had made him a suspect. "[4], He was known in the community because he was having an affair with a white woman, Karen Kelly, and because one of his sons had married a white woman. When you are poor and under sentence of death you worry about a lot of things. App.1991). ... Walter McMillian The time in which he was judged was just one day and a half, this time, is really short compared to some other cases. EP.32 The case of Walter McMillian -New way of looking at the death penalty Walter "Johnny D." McMillian (October 27, 1941 – September 11, 2013)[1] was an African-American pulpwood worker from Monroeville, Alabama, who was wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death. [8][13], The two witnesses who had testified that they had seen McMillian's truck retracted their testimony, and admitted that they lied at trial, committing perjury. © 2021 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. He lost his logging business and sold car parts until he was too ill to work. The trial began on August 15, 1988. [5][4] Chapman, who did not prosecute the original case in 1987, "joined the defense in seeking to have the charges" against McMillian dismissed. [3] McMillian purchased logging and paper mill equipment and became a "moderately successful businessman". I feel sick about the six years that [McMillian] has spent in prison and the part I played in keeping him there. 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. [7][8] She had been shot numerous times from behind. "[7] McMillian's attorneys from the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) in Montgomery, Alabama, filed a petition for a new trial alleging various constitutional violations, including "that a key state witness had recanted his testimony, that the appellant's conviction had been obtained by perjured testimony, and that the evidence of perjury was newly discovered." I'm going to put twelve people on a jury who are going to find your goddamn black ass guilty. The controversial case received national attention beginning in the fall of 1992, when it was featured in the CBS News program 60 Minutes. Tate replied, "I don't give a damn what you say or what you do. There was a substantial amount of internal bleeding, but little external bleeding. "[9], On February 23, 1993, in his fifth appeal to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, the judges ruled 5-0 to reverse McMillian's conviction and grant him a new trial. "[17], From 1990 to 1993, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals turned down four appeals. [13] Key remarked that "McMillian deserved to be executed for the brutal killing of a young lady in the first full flower of adulthood. In the years after his release, several people were exonerated as he drew attention to the wrongful convictions. [2] He died on September 11, 2013. Two books have been written on the case, including Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, which was adapted into a feature film of the same name in which Jamie Foxx portrays McMillian. 2d 1253 (Ala.Cr. Confusions from Covid-19 is the reason for death related to the death of Nix. "[9][10], On December 11, 1987, Walter McMillian and Ralph Bernard Myers, a career criminal,[12] were jointly indicted. When he visited McMillian in prison,[9][15][Notes 4][16] McMillian maintained his innocence. The hearing lasted for one and a half days where dozens of black people testified that Walter was with his family at least 11 miles away from where the murder took place. On August 17, 1988, the jury of eleven whites and one African American found McMillian "guilty of the capital offense charged in the indictment"[7] and recommended a life sentence, based on the testimony of four state's informants found by the prosecution: Ralph Myers,[7] a career criminal; Bill Hooks, Jr.; Joe Hightower;[7] and one other. A state witness, Ralph Myers, stated that he had been coerced. He claimed that McMillian's exoneration "proved the system worked. He spoke to the Montgomery Advertiser in 1997, saying, “It’s hard to get it back together. [5][7] Myers pleaded guilty as a conspirator in the murder and received a 30-year prison term.[5]. "[2] Monroe County was described by The Guardian as "a remote, dirt-poor region of pine trees and bean farms". 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. He said, “I am deeply troubled by the way the criminal system treated me and the difficulty I had in proving my innocence. God has helped me out so much. [4] McMillian's attorney then filed a motion to dismiss all charges. 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. [4] McMillian held two jobs and "no criminal record other than a misdemeanor charge stemming [from] a barroom fight". Notably, he worked as a pulpwood worker for a while until he suffered from a broken neck in 1995. We would often talk about situations and people connected to the case that, for all the damage they had caused, had still made us laugh at their absurdity. While the majority of these people committed the crimes alleged, some of them didn't. I don't give a damn what your people say either. Especially how Walter was always hopeful and upbeat even though he was on death row. So, how did Walter McMillian die? 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. Morrison, who was white, had been bludgeoned, strangled and shot three times. You can enhance Walter Mcmillan's memory by upgrading Walter's public record with words and pictures, signing Walter's memory book, recording an audio memory or lighting a candle. Thirty-six of the nearly two hundred convicts on death row are there because of override. [5], In the fall of 1992, McMillian's case received national attention in the CBS News program 60 Minutes. Judge Robert E. Lee Key overrode the verdict, using powers bestowed on him by the state of Alabama, and sentenced Walter to death by electrocution. ", According to David Rose in his 1999 article in. "[8] This practice, called judicial override, allows "elected trial judges to override jury verdicts of life and impose death sentences." Though the highest court in the country ruled against McMillian in 1997, his case became a precursor in Alabama’s 2001 compensation statute. [5], Upon discovery of this evidence, District Attorney Thomas Chapman, who had represented the state in McMillian's previous appeals, told Stevenson, "I want to do everything I can so that your client will not have to spend a single day more than he already has on death row. [2] He was described by The New Yorker as a black pulpwood worker. Counties, states, and the federal government all have different rules and policies about preserving evidence and providing access to testing that could prove an incarcerated person’s innocence. I am also worried about others. [7][Notes 5], In 1992 the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in McMillian v. State 594 So. McMillian. The case with Walter McMillian is a perfect example of this. After he had decided to take the appeal, he got a phone call from Judge Key discouraging Stevenson from taking the case. It allows compensation for those who are wrongfully incarcerated. In a 2014 interview with NPR, Stevenson, Walter’s lawyer, said, “I saw that create this early-onset dementia [in McMillian] that many of the doctors believed was trauma-induced, was a function of his experience of being nearly killed — and he witnessed eight executions when he was on death row…” Thus, while the American … [18] Subsequently, McMillian settled out of court with other officials for an undisclosed amount. When Ronda Morrison’s murder sent shockwaves through the small Monroeville community in Alabama, the cops rushed to solve the case. Bryan Stevenson met Walter in 1988 and soon the case started to fall apart. Pearson had failed to disclose exculpatory evidence to McMillian's attorneys, including records from the Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility and Myers' June 3 and August 27 statements. "[7] 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. From 1990 to 1993, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals turned down four appeals; 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. Walter became a prime suspect in the case, despite almost zero evidence against him. Walter McMillian was nearly put to death for a crime he did not commit. Walter’s sense of humor hadn’t failed him despite his six years on death row. "Just Mercy," a movie about the case, opens in theaters this week. All images property of their respective owners. "[2], After returning to his family and hometown of Monroeville, McMillian filed a civil lawsuit against state and local officials, including "the three men in charge of investigating the Morrison murder--Tom Tate, the Sheriff of Monroe County; Larry Ikner, an investigator with the District Attorney's office in Monroe County; and Simon Benson, an investigator with the Alabama Bureau of Investigation",[18] for his wrongful prosecution and conviction. One of the biggest worries is whether you’ll get the kind of legal assistance you need to save you from execution. "[4] He remained there, pre-trial, for 15 months. He concluded that death would have resulted from the wounds within 10 to 20 minutes, but that unconsciousness would probably have occurred within minutes. The information in this obituary is based on data from the US Government's Social Security Death … [12][8][Notes 2], The "jury ignored multiple alibi defense witnesses, who were black, who testified under oath that he was at a fish fry at the time of the crime. [5][13], McMillian's "appellate lawyers discovered that prosecutors had withheld evidence and that the state's star witnesses had lied. Their testimonies were ignored and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, by the jury. The conversations Bryan had with Walter and the bond they made throughout the trials and hearings really surprised me. Tom Tate, the Monroe County Sheriff who arrested him, placed him on death row even before the trial, where he spent 15 harrowing months. Between 1990 and 1992, EJI secured several death penalty reversals through the Court of Appeals, despite political resistance. He "did not have a history of violence. 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. Walter’s case is significant because Stevenson will return to it throughout the memoir. In a 2014 interview with NPR, Stevenson, Walter’s lawyer, said, “I saw that create this early-onset dementia [in McMillian] that many of the doctors believed was trauma-induced, was a function of his experience of being nearly killed — and he witnessed eight executions when he was on death row…” Thus, while the American penal system is not directly responsible for Walter’s demise, the traumatic experience definitely played a role in his death. In a 2014 NPR interview, Stevenson mentions how McMillian’s imprisonment affected the rest of his life. Legacy.com enhances online obituaries with Guest Books, funeral home information, and florist links. He moved back to Monroeville and worked hard to educate people about the death penalty. *Spoilers for "Just Mercy" below* Walter McMillan spent six years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit, but even after the Alabama resident was exonerated, he remained tormented by his years behind bars. He went back to death row, spending six more years there. © 2020 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. The 45-year-old self-employed logger had worked for several people in the community and had no criminal history. "[11], 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. Despite the lack of any physical evidence linking McMillian to the murder of a white clerk named Ronda Morrison, he was arrested for the crime more than six months after it took place. The trial lasted only a day and a half. [4] McMillian's conviction and death sentence were affirmed on appeal in 1991 in McMillian v. State, 594 So. "[4], Eighteen-year-old Ronda Morrison, a white dry-cleaning clerk, was murdered at Jackson Cleaners on November 1, 1986, in Monroeville, Alabama. "[8] It emerged that Sheriff Tate and investigators with the Monroe County D.A. [19], According to the 1993 appeal, Judge R.E.L. Set around 1990, Just Mercy is based on the true story of how Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) used his freshly-minted Harvard law degree to represent a group of death row inmates in Alabama, specifically Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), who really is innocent. My work with the poor and the incarcerated has persuaded me that the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice. This began Walter’s harrowing encounter with the American legal system until he attained his hard-fought freedom.

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