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December 18, 2014

South Carolina: 14-Year-Old Black Boy Exonerated 70 Years After Execution 
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In South Carolina, a 14-year-old African-American teen wrongfully
convicted of murdering two white girls has had his name cleared 70 years
after he was executed for the crime. In 1944, George Stinney became the
youngest person executed in the United States in the 20th century. He
weighed less than 100 pounds and had to sit on a phonebook to fit into
the electric chair at his execution. Stinney was charged, tried,
convicted and executed within 83 days by a jury of 12 white men after
his white lawyer failed to call any witnesses in his defense. His family
has long said he was forced into confessing. On Wednesday, a judge threw
out his conviction, calling the case an "unfortunate episode in our
history."

 

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