The Youngest American to Be Put on an Electric Chair Was a 14-Year-Old Innocent Boy
Injustice Unveiled: Examining the Tragic Case of a 14-Year-Old Innocent Boy Condemned to the Electric Chair in America
On 16 June 1944 George Stinney Jr. became the youngest person to die on the electric chair in modern history. He was convicted of the murder of 2 young girls and the jury took 10 minutes to make their decision of giving him the death sentence. However, there was no tangible evidence, no witnesses, and no strong reason to accuse George of the crime.
It was in March 1944 when 2 young girls Betty June Binnicker and Mary Emma Thames, aged 11 and 7 years old, were riding their bicycles and looking for flowers. On the way, they saw George and asked him where to find the flowers, and that was reportedly the last time the girls were seen alive.
The police interviewed George inside a small room without his parent’s knowledge and an attorney. The police reported that George confessed to his crimes, however, they couldn’t provide any evidence that the confession took place. This report by the police that he confessed eventually led to the electrocution of George 83 days after the death of the 2 girls.
70 years later, an investigation found that George Stinney Jr. was innocent and didn’t commit the murder. A Supreme Court Judge declared that the trial of George was unfair, and his reported confession was highly likely to be coerced by the police. On the day of his death, the executioners of George reported that his legs were too small for the electrode and the straps of the electric chair were too big for him, and the mask slid from his face because it was too oversized for him.
Originally published at https://original.newsbreak.com.
