George Stinney, Jr. The Execution of a 14 year old
By
John C Abercrombie
On June 16, 1944, George Junius Stinney, Jr became the youngest person in America to be executed when at the age of 14 he was electrocuted by the state of South Carolina.
His trial was only 2 hours and the jury deliberated only 10 minutes before he was sentenced to die at the hands of the state. His appointed attorney called no witnesses or took any other steps to represent Mr. Stinney. He made no appeal and approximately 80 days from the date of the crime, George Stinney was burned to a crisp in the electric chair.
Stinney was so small at 5’0” and weighing all of 98 pounds he was charged with the beating death of 2 young White girls. So small that it is reported that he had to sit on a stack of books to reach the electrodes. Some reports indicate that he was sat upon a bible.
The crime involved the death of 2 young White girls, 11 year old Betty June Binnicker and 7 year old Emma Thames who were found in Alcolu, South Carolina after a search prompted by the fact that they had not returned home the day before.
There is no doubt that this is a tragic incident and the perpetrator of the crime should be punished for it. Justice demands the best from all involved, the police to investigate the incident and the justice department to mete out the punishment. The courts to ensure that the rights of the defendant are followed. All of this is dependent on finding out the facts of the case and following the path dictated by the facts.
In order to view this case, it is necessary to remember that justice has evolved over the years, including the prohibition on killing youth offenders. In 1944, the system had not evolved to that point.
The young girls, Betty June Binnicker and Emma Thames were riding their bicycles and looking for “maypops”. Maypops are actually purple passionflowers and grow on a fast growing perennial vine. They have climbing or trailing stems. The flowers have 5 bluish-white petals with a white and purple corona. They normally begin to bloom in July.
The fleshy fruit is called a maypop and is about the size of a chicken egg. The fruit is green but turns yellow when mature.
Alcolu I a small town in Clarendon County, South Carolina, but the focus should not be on the location, but the facts of the case. Alcolu was a strictly segregated town as were many towns and cities of the times. Blacks were relegated to certain areas. Had separate schools, churches and the races did not interact socially.
We often look and accept the fact that neighborhoods are segregated, but seldom question the effects or wonder why they are separate in the first place.
The answer to the question is that there were laws in place that prevented Blacks from living or even enjoying amenities provided to other citizens. This resulted in limited educational and other opportunities. For a more detailed look at this limiting situation, it is suggested that you consider the book. “The Color of Law” by Richard Rothstein. This book shows the role of government in establishing and maintain segregated neighborhoods and we highly recommend it. Later in the section below, you will see a link to the book as well as offers on Kindle and Audible.
14 year old George and his sister were raised by strict parents. George and his sister had chores after school and his sister was described as George’s shadow, following him every where he went. One of his daily chores was to take the family cow out to graze, bring her back, give her water and put her in the barn for the night.
George and his sister did this chore and while taking the cow to the pasture, the girls came by and asked if they knew where they could find some maypops. George and his sister told them that they did not know where they could find maypops.
There was a search for the girls, and they were found the next day near the Black community. George was arrested and charged with the murder of Binnicker and Thames.
With George in custody, his family was forced to flee from their home because of the threat of violence directed towards them by the White community. Over the years, many Blacks have been intimidated by the threat and actual acts of violence for the mere suspicion of crime.
Violence as a way of maintaining segregation has resulted in the public lynching of 1,000’s, mostly Black males in America. So many that there is an entire museum dedicated to the memory of these people denied justice and a trial. Often being tortured before large crowds and desecrated in death.
George’s brothers and sisters never saw him alive again after he was arrested. He was tried, convicted, sentenced and executed within a matter of approximately 80 days.
True justice demands fairness in all aspects of the process and many questions arise from the investigation of the crime, the lack of evidence and the trial process.
No other possibilities were investigated by the police except George. George was small, 5’0” and weigh of 98 pounds, yet he is supposed to have killed 2 girls. Forensics show that the crime should have resulted in massive blood loss, yet there was no blood found on George, his clothes or even the scene of the crime, leading to the possibility that the crime occurred in another location.
There are no photos or other graphic depictions of the scene, the bodies, weapons or any other physical evidence of the crime.
There is no transcript of the trial and the lawyer assigned to George provided ineffective council, doing no investigation, calling no witnesses, asking no question and filing no appeals.
While it is easy to understand the family of Binnicker and Thames wanting justice for their loved ones, it must be remembered that convicting the wrong person is NOT justice. In the videos, they are convinced of the guilt of George Stinney and there is no evidence beyond the obvious to believe otherwise.
The case of George Stinney was appealed in 2014, 70 years after the case and execution of Stinney. The case was appealed on a seldom used legal basis. A writ of Coram Nobis.
A writ of Coram Nobis is an order by an appeals court to a lower court to consider facts not on the trial record which might have changed the outcome of the lower court if it was known at the time of trial. Coram Nobis is a Latin term meaning the “error before us.”
A 3 part test is used by the courts in deciding to grant a writ.
- Explanation of failure to seek relief earlier
- Demonstration of continuing collateral consequences from the conviction
- Proving the error is fundamental to the validity of the argument
An example of when it might be used includes prosecutorial misconduct hiding exculpatory evidence from the defendant. A writ of Coram Nobis is issued once the petitioner is no longer in custody. Its legal effect is to vacate the underlying conviction. A petition for a writ of error Coram Nobis is brought to the court that convicted and sentenced the defendant.
The entire court process was extradited and including jury selection took all of one day. Th jury was all male, all white and prone in those days to convict Blacks.
George Stinney’s court appointed attorney was Charles Plowder, a tax commissioner campaigning for election to local office, rendering him unlikely to take a pro defense stand, thereby eliminating his chance at election. Keep in mind that most Blacks were prevented from voting and therefore being on juries. Plowder by taking a stance viewed as helping Stinney would have prevented his election by the Whites of the area.
Plowden did not question the 3 police officers who testified that Stinney confessed, despite this being the only evidence against him.
There were conflicting versions of Stinney’s verbal confession.
- Stinney is supposed to have attacked the girls after he tried to help the girls who had fallen in the ditch and he killed them in self-defense
- The second is that he followed the girls first attacking one, then the other
There is no written record of Stinney’s confession except from Deputy Newman’s statement to that fact.
Despite the discrepancy, Plowden did not raise any questions.
The court also allowed the discussion of the “possibility” of rape, although the medical examiner’s report had no evidence to support this. The subject of rape of a White by a Black was highly inflammatory considering the strict segregation of the time and area, yet Plowden raised no objection or questions.
The entire trial lasted only 2 and ½ hours. The all-male, all White jury took less than 10 minutes to deliberate, returning a guilty verdict. Judge Philip Stoll sentenced Stinney to death by electrocution. There is no transcript of the trial and no appeal by Plowden.
There are some detailed videos for you below. Many of them show video from the trial.
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Videos THE CURRENT | The Story of George Stinney Jr.
This film is based in part on the true history of George Stinney Jr and on An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Beirce.
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Triple Tragedy in Alcolu:
The execution of 14-year-old George Stinney, Jr., accused of the murders of Betty June Binnicker and Mary Emma Thames. On June 16, 1944, the State of South Carolina executed 14-year-old George Stinney Jr., found guilty of killing 11-year-old Betty June Binnicker in the Clarendon County town of Alcolu. Betty June Binnicker and her 7-year-old companion, Mary Emma Thames, went missing on March 23, 1944. Searchers discovered their bodies early the next morning. Binnicker’s bicycle, and its detached front wheel, had been placed on top of them. Deputies charged George Stinney Jr. with killing both girls. However, for reasons unknown, Stinney was tried only for the murder of Binnicker. 83 days after the deaths, with no appeals, George Stinney Jr. was electrocuted by the State of South Carolina.
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WIS Awareness 1/26/14
In April of 1944, George Stinney Jr., a 14-year-old African American boy from Alcolu, SC was convicted of brutally bludgeoning to White girls to death. He was sent to the electric chair on June 16, 1944. The families of the two girls, Mary Emma Thames, 7, and Betty June Binnicker, 11, believe justice has been served. 70 years later, the family of Stinney wants to re-open case, claiming there is new evidence and the teen did not get a fair trial. USC law professor, Kenneth Gaines, breaks down the case from a legal perspective, looking at the challenges both sides face and examining the role of race.
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Available video
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“My Name Is George Junius Stinney Jr”
WARNING: Graphic imagery and strong language contained.
The following is a shocking spoken word piece based on the true story of the youngest scholar to be fatally railroaded by the US Criminal Justice system this past century.
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George Stinney Case. Hearing. Part 1
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George Stinney Case. Hearing. Part 3
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The Color of Law:
A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America New York Times Bestseller • Notable Book of the Year • Editors’ Choice Selection One of Bill Gates’ “Amazing Books” of the Year One of Publishers Weekly’s 10 Best Books of the Year Longlisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction An NPR Best Book of the Year Winner of the Hillman Prize for Nonfiction Gold Winner • California Book Award (Nonfiction) Finalist • Los Angeles Times Book Prize (History) Finalist • Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize This “powerful and disturbing history” exposes how American governments deliberately imposed racial segregation on metropolitan areas nationwide (New York Times Book Review).
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George Stinney Hearing – January 21, 2014 – Part 1
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George Stinney Hearing – January 21, 2014 – Part 3
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George Stinney Case. Hearing. Day 1. Part 4
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70th Anniversary of Stinney execution
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Teen’s conviction tossed 70 years after his execution
The murder conviction of George Stinney, Jr., a 14-year-old African-American boy who was executed 70 years ago for the deaths of two white girls, was just overturned. A South Carolina judge ruled the boy did not have a fair trial.
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We see in the case of George Stinney a botched investigation, a mock trial, a defense lawyer who is a derelict and the list goes on and own. South Carolina holds the distinction of being the state to execute the youngest person. The state reversed the decision 70 years after Stinney was killed by the state. This may make some feel that justice has been done, but it is certain that young George Stinney does not share this position. As horrific as this case, we as a society are almost eager to continue to follow suit. It is time for reform!