From Death Row to Sunlight: Anthony Hinton's 30-Year Fight for Justice

My name is Joshua Bevill. I'm serving a 30-year federal prison sentence for a low-level, nonviolent offense.  I've been in federal prison for nearly 15 years.  And I've witnessed first hand good people who have been crushed by injustice.  I spend my days helping fellow prisoners win their freedom as well as writing and studying all things federal sentencing law.  I also write about remarkable people who are involved in helping rectify injustice.

On that path, I found Brittany K. Barnett, which led me to Bryan Stevenson.  And he led me to Anthony Ray Hinton.  I had to write about this great human.

“The sun does shine.”

Those words were spoken by Anthony Ray Hinton as he walked out of an Alabama prison in 2015 and embraced his family for the first time in 30 years. Hinton had served one of the longest death row sentences in Alabama history before being exonerated for a crime he didn’t commit.

Can you even begin to imagine sitting on death row for 30 years waiting each day for someone to tell you when they’re going to kill you? Yes, our justice system is not 100 percent efficient, but how does such an egregious error like this occur? How does an innocent man find himself in such a hopeless and terrifying circumstance?

A City on Edge

In 1985, tragedy struck Birmingham, Alabama, when two fast-food restaurants were robbed, and the managers, John Davidson and Thomas Wayne Vason, fatally shot. With residents on high alert but no eyewitnesses or incriminating evidence, the pressure mounted on police to solve the case.

As the months passed, similar crimes would plague the city. Finally on July 25th, a restaurant in Bessemer was robbed and the manager was shot but not seriously wounded. He was shown a photo lineup and selected Anthony Hinton as the shooter.

Police immediately arrested Hinton and charged him. But Hinton had a rock-solid alibi. He was working in a locked warehouse fifteen miles away at the time of the robbery. Hinton’s supervisor and colleagues confirmed he was at work that night. In fact, all workers were closely monitored during their shift. There was simply no way he could have been the shooter.

Not only would Hinton be charged with robbery and attempted murder, he was also charged with the murders of the fast food managers months before. The sole evidence linking Hinton to the murders? A shoddy claim by state firearms examiners that a revolver found in his mother's house matched the bullets recovered from all three crime scenes. This "match" was dubious from the start. The prosecutor, with a documented history of racial bias, relied solely on this questionable link and his own prejudiced view of Hinton.

Hinton's court-appointed attorney only made matters worse by mistakenly believing funding for a qualified ballistics expert was limited. He ended up hiring a visually-impaired civil engineer with no firearms expertise. Yes, you read that right. This lack of a credible defense witness left Hinton vulnerable. Despite passing a polygraph test that exonerated him, and despite no history of violent crime and similar armed robberies occurring in the area after his arrest, Hinton was convicted and sentenced to death.

A Textbook Example of Injustice

Years passed, with Hinton steadfastly maintaining his innocence. In 1998, Bryan Stevenson of the  Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) heard about Hinton’s story and was moved to take action on his behalf. 

“Race, poverty, inadequate legal assistance, and prosecutorial indifference to innocence conspired to create a textbook example of injustice. I can’t think of a case that more urgently dramatizes the need for reform than what has happened to Anthony Ray Hinton.”

The EJI team commissioned a re-examination of the gun and bullets. All three experts concluded they could not definitively link the weapon to the crimes. This new evidence formed the basis for an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 2014, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned Hinton's conviction. They ruled that his original lawyer's failure to secure proper funding for a qualified ballistics expert constituted ineffective assistance of counsel. This meant Hinton didn't receive a fair trial.

Facing a retrial with the new ballistics findings, the prosecution dropped the charges. After nearly 30 years on death row, Anthony Hinton walked free – one of the longest-serving wrongfully convicted individuals in Alabama history.

A Beacon of Hope 

Despite facing unimaginable hardship, Anthony Hinton emerged from death row a man of remarkable character and integrity. While he waited years for justice, his mother and closest family members tragically passed away. Yet, during his nearly three decades on death row, Hinton built an exceptional reputation among correction officers at Holman Prison.

Since his exoneration, Hinton has dedicated himself to sharing his story. A captivating speaker and advocate, he has spoken at numerous universities and conferences. Hinton’s story of perseverance serves as a powerful inspiration, while his insights offer invaluable enlightenment on the flaws within the criminal justice system.

As an EJI Community Educator, Hinton tirelessly advocates for the abolishment of the death penalty. He works passionately to educate audiences about the prevalence of wrongful convictions and the persistent issue of racial bias within the legal system. Anthony Hinton embodies hope and resilience, using his experience to push for a more just future.

What's most striking about this story is, when Hinton was finally released, he was filled with forgiveness. “I forgave so I could sleep at night,” he said. “True forgiveness is the only way to be free, and I want to be free.”

Wow!

I think that captures his character perfectly.