Category Archives: African American

Willie’s Family

Posted on December 18, 2018 by

Willie Manning’s daughter turned 3 years old soon after he entered death row; she is now 27. Willie has thus been absent for most of his daughter’s childhood and adolescence, and for much of her twenties; he has been unable … Continue reading →

Posted in African American, capital punishment, criminal justice, death penalty, Death Row, Fly Manning, Mississippi, USA, Willie Jerome Manning, Willie Manning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Work Remains to be Done

Posted on October 9, 2018 by

The Wikipedia page for Willie Jerome Manning was vandalized earlier this year: it was edited “in a malicious manner that [was] intentionally disruptive.” The page was reverted to an earlier version which omitted Willie’s exoneration for the Jimmerson-Jordan murders; and it downplayed … Continue reading →

Posted in African American, Emmett Till, lynching, Mississippi, USA, Willie Jerome Manning, Willie Manning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

Posted on August 27, 2018 by

Richard Burdine, who died last month, represented Willie Manning at the penalty phase of his trial. Burdine was an African American lawyer who deserves credit for frequently accepting indigent defendants as clients. He was publicly commended by the Mississippi legislature in … Continue reading →

Posted in African American, capital punishment, criminal justice, death penalty, defense attorneys, Mississippi, Penalty phase, Richard Burdine, USA, Willie Manning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Never give up hope.

Posted on June 29, 2018 by

Anthony Ray Hinton’s wrongful conviction and death sentence for murder in Alabama is as shocking as it is revealing. Soon after Hinton’s arrest a police officer told him: “You know, I don’t care whether you did or didn’t do it. … Continue reading →

Posted in African American, Anthony Ray Hinton, capital punishment, criminal justice, death penalty, Mississippi, racism, The Sun Does Shine, USA, Willie Manning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Two Unqualifed Attorneys

Posted on April 22, 2018 by

In Willie Manning’s 1992 case, the Oktibbeha County Circuit Court had great difficulty performing its duty to appoint a post-conviction attorney who was qualified for capital cases. The court ignored Willie’s own choice of attorney, who was suitably qualified. Instead … Continue reading →

Posted in African American, death penalty, defense attorneys, legislation, Mississippi, USA, Willie Manning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“This System’s all a Lie”

Posted on March 4, 2018 by

Steven Hayne was the medical examiner at Willie Manning’s trial and at many others in Mississippi; he was unqualified and scandalously incompetent (see here and here).  A book just published, “The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice … Continue reading →

Posted in African American, capital punishment, criminal justice, death penalty, Fly Manning, Injustice, miscarriages of justice, Mississippi, The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South, USA, Willie Jerome Manning, Willie Manning, wrongful convictions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

DNA Testing: Update

Posted on January 29, 2018 by

A letter filed on Thursday by Rob Mink, one of Willie Manning’s attorneys, states that 18 hair fragments contained in exhibits from Willie’s Steckler-Miller case are to be tested. The testing is predicted to take about fourteen weeks. The letter reveals … Continue reading →

Posted in African American, capital punishment, criminal justice, death penalty, DNA testing, Jon Steckler, Mississippi, Tiffany Miller, USA, Willie Manning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Disproportionate Harm

Posted on January 4, 2018 by

Those wrongly convicted of murder suffer great harm. They may spend years in prison under threat of execution; they may even lose their lives. Far from being perpetrators, they are additional victims of the perpetrators. A report published last year, based … Continue reading →

Posted in African American, capital punishment, criminal justice, death penalty, exonerations, Mississippi, USA, Willie Manning, wrongful convictions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hope in Sherwood Brown’s New Trial

Posted on November 4, 2017 by

Willie Manning must be happy that his fellow death row inmate and African American, Sherwood Brown, has been granted a new trial by the Mississippi Supreme Court. Like Willie, Brown had been pursuing DNA testing; like Willie, he was granted DNA … Continue reading →

Posted in African American, capital punishment, criminal justice, death penalty, DNA testing, flawed forensics, Injustice, innocence, Mississippi, Sherwood Brown, USA, Willie Manning, wrongful convictions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Without Logic or Fairness

Posted on October 8, 2017 by

Even in a case with as many anomalies as Willie Manning’s, the reason for making him a murder suspect in the first place is particularly troubling.* Four months after students Tiffany Miller and Jon Steckler were murdered, a silver monogrammed … Continue reading →

Posted in African American, capital punishmant, criminal justice, death penalty, Mississippi, police, Sheriff Dolph Bryan, Willie Manning, wrongful convictions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,