The 14 year old George Stinney was accused of murdering two young sisters, aged 7 and 11. Shortly after his (very convincing and detailed, but potentially forced) confession, a short trial took place, in which no witnesses were cross examined by Stinney's defense, and no evidence or witnesses were presented to support him. According to his brother, Ruffney, the police were simply looking for a scapegoat to blame the murder on.
Shortly after the trial, Stinney became the youngest person executed by electric chair in the United States since the 1800's. The executioners had to place books on the seat of the chair in order for his small frame to fit.
His relatives today are seeking another trail to achieve the justice denied Stinney in the trial that took place in 1944.
The descendants of the sheriff who arrested Stinney, as well as the relatives of the two sisters he was accused of murdering, believe that another trial is unnecessary.
I think that if another trial could potentially clear the name of a child, then to not conduct one is a crime.
original article (by Eliot C McLaughlin) here.
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