Category Archives: defense attorneys

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Dirty Secret

Posted on October 18, 2017 by

It is a “dirty secret”, known by few, that the American death penalty system is “specifically engineered to ensure that those who are convicted stay convicted, guilty or not.”[i] This is how it works. Death sentences routinely result from poor defense … Continue reading →

Posted in capital punishment, death penalty, defense attorneys, Fly Manning, Injustice, Mississippi, prosecutor misconduct, prosecutorial misconduct, USA, Willie Jerome Manning, Willie Manning, wrongful convictions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Significance of Absent Witnesses

Posted on March 18, 2017 by

In the early hours of the December 11, 1992, two Mississippi State University students were murdered. Willie Manning said he was at the 2500 Club that night. As the prosecutor himself pointed out, if Willie was at that club, he … Continue reading →

Posted in criminal justice, defense attorneys, Fly Manning, Mississippi, USA, Willie Manning, witness testimony, wrongful convictions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“Willie wouldn’t bust a grape.”

Posted on June 12, 2016 by

Today Willie Jerome Manning is 48. This is his 23rd birthday on death row. When Willie was a child there was little money to celebrate birthdays. A childhood friend of his family, David Skato, recalls the ‘poverty stricken’ community where they … Continue reading →

Posted in African American, capital punishment, criminal justice, death peanlty, defense attorneys, Fly Manning, Mississippi, USA, Willie Jerome Manning, Willie Manning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Death Penalty: No Place in the Twenty-First Century

Posted on January 19, 2015 by

The USA is in an increasingly isolated position in tolerating the death penalty: 117 countries last month voted for a global death penalty moratorium, with only 38, including the USA, voting against this. In its opposition America keeps strange company; … Continue reading →

Posted in American justice, capital defense lawyers, criminal justice, death penalty, Death Row, defense attorneys, family of executed, Fly Manning, Injustice, innocence, Martin Luther King, Mississippi, Mississippi State Penitentiary, moratorium on death penalty, prison staff, US constitution, USA, USA constitution, Willie Jerome Manning, Willie Manning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,