youngest person executed in America

In 1944, George Stinney Jr. became the youngest person in modern American history to be sentenced to death and executed at the age of 14. The case of George Stinney Jr. is a tragic example of the racial injustice that has plagued the American criminal justice system for centuries.

George Stinney Jr. was a black teenager who lived in Alcolu, South Carolina. On March 23, 1944, two white girls, 11-year-old Betty June Binnicker and 7-year-old Mary Emma Thames, were found murdered near their home. The girls had been bludgeoned to death with a railroad spike. Within hours of their discovery, George Stinney Jr. was arrested and charged with their murders.

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The evidence against Stinney was flimsy at best. He had been seen talking to the girls earlier in the day, but there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime. Nevertheless, Stinney was interrogated for several hours without his parents or a lawyer present, and he eventually gave a confession. However, there is significant evidence to suggest that his confession was coerced, as Stinney was reportedly told that he could go home if he confessed to the murders.

Despite the lack of evidence and the questionable nature of Stinney’s confession, he was tried and convicted in just one day by an all-white jury. His defense lawyer did not call any witnesses, and Stinney was not allowed to testify in his own defense. The jury deliberated for just 10 minutes before finding him guilty and sentencing him to death by electrocution.

Stinney’s execution was carried out just 83 days after the murders, making it one of the fastest executions in American history. Stinney’s small stature meant that the electric chair did not fit him properly, and he had to sit on a stack of phone books to reach the electrodes. Witnesses reported seeing smoke and sparks coming from his head during the execution.

Decades later, Stinney’s case was reexamined, and in 2014, a South Carolina judge vacated his conviction, citing the lack of due process and the inadequate defense he had received at his trial. The judge also noted that the state’s case against Stinney was weak and that there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime.

The case of George Stinney Jr. is a stark reminder of the systemic racism that has long pervaded the American criminal justice system. Stinney was denied his basic rights, including the right to a fair trial and the right to legal representation. His execution was a miscarriage of justice that should never be forgotten, and his story should serve as a warning against the dangers of a justice system that is marred by racism and injustice.