It’s been almost 70 years since?George Junius Stinney Jr. was executed at age 14. ?He?goes down in history as the youngest person ever executed in the United States in the 20th century.
[READ: Never Forget: Meet the Youngest Person Ever Executed in The U.S. (Yes. He’s Black)]
Sinney, accused of murdering two White girls, was tried and convicted back in 1944 with literally no physical evidence against him.
Less than three months after the girls? deaths, Stinney was escorted to the electric chair at a Columbia, SC penitentiary. His court appointed lawyer never filed an appeal, which could have postponed the execution.
[READ: Never Forget: Meet the Only Woman Ever Executed in Georgia (Yes. She’s Black)]
When the switch was flipped, Stinney?s body convulsed, dislodging the oversized mask and exposing his face to about 40 witnesses, including the slain girls? fathers, according to James Gamble, son of the Clarendon County sheriff at the time. Gamble recalled the execution for The Herald in Rock Hill a decade ago.
Now, attorneys for Stinney?s family are demanding a new trial, saying the boy?s confession was clearly coerced and that Stinney had an alibi, his sister, Amie Ruffner, who claims she was with Stinney when the murders occurred.
Extensive details about the family’s quest to clear Stinney’s name + video below… Continue Reading…
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