After spending 6 years on alabamas death row for a crime he did not commit, he was eventually exonerated in 1993. We would often talk about situations and people connected to the case that, for all the damage they had caused, had still made us laugh at their. Born to a poor black family outside of monroeville, alabama, walter became a successful small businessman as an adult. Jordan, jamie foxx, rob morgan, tim blake nelson, rafe spall, karan kendrick and brie larson. His conviction was wrongfully obtained, based on police coercion and perjury. Mcmillian, who is black, was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of a young white woman who worked as a clerk in a dry clearing store in monroeville, alabama. Now that just mercy has begun to hit select theaters, moviegoers may be wondering where walter mcmillian is now. Mcmillian, wearing a white jumpsuit, sits across the table from his lawyer bryan stevenson, with the sterile bars of an alabama prison in the background. A couple of years ago, in a welltraveled ted talk, stevenson reflected on his life as a lawyer, and his central thesis.
To understand the criminal justice system in america, its bias against africanamerican men and the death penalty, it is important to understand the stories of both mcmillan and stevenson. Just mercy, starring jamie foxx as walter and also sometimes called johnnie d by his friends and family, is based off the memoir written by stevenson, played by michael b. Just mercy is a 2019 american legal drama film directed by destin daniel cretton, and starring michael b. When minnie became pregnant in 1962, they were married. He is also the best public speaker that i have ever heard. Just mercy chapter 9 summary september, 2016 julianjones0910 leave a comment in this chapter stevenson our narrator describes to us the beginning of the second trial of walter mcmillian in order to determine if he is guilty in the death of ronda morrison. Jordan depicts stevenson in the movie, while jamie foxx plays mcmillian. As just mercy depicts, bryan stevenson worked tirelessly to make walter mcmillian the first person in alabama history to be freed from death row, from a retrial that stevenson worked hard to. Professor howard winant introduction to sociology 41616 who exactly is justice for we all read a large amount literature in our lifetime, and among those stand the few that make you truly reflect on your own humanity. Photo from eji on december 1st walter was mainly targeted for this crime because he was a black man dating a white woman. Mcmillian presented six alibi witnesses who testified that they had been with him at a family fish fry the entire day. This week, hell release his book, a suretobe classic entitled just mercy. In the book, just mercy by bryan stevenson, the readers become the jury and stevenson is the lawyer who is presenting the injustice within the case of walter mcmillian. Just mercy is a realistic portrayal of the problems in.
Jordan and the case of walter mcmillian academy award winner jamie foxx, who was convicted and sentenced to death for a. Just mercy chapter 9 summary university 112 rampages. Just mercy, starring jamie foxx as walter and also sometimes called johnnie d by his friends and family, is based off the memoir written by stevenson, played. Just mercy s central story about walter mcmillian is equal parts heartbreaking and absurd.
Perhaps the most significant piece of new evidence. Stevenson implies that this anger, at least in part, leads to walter s false arrest. Jordan plays the idealistic defense attorney, and jamie foxx plays johnny d. In an early scene in the film just mercy, death row inmate walter johnny d. Today, more than 160 people who were on death row have been proved innocent and released.
The tonight show starring jimmy fallon 1,404,761 views. The way stevenson wrote the book just mercy is in the style of a courtroom trial where there is a story told, then an argument made. Mcmillian october 27, 1941 september 11, 20 was an africanamerican pulpwood worker from monroeville, alabama, who was wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Accused of a crime he didnt commit, walter is arrested and sent to death row pretrial. Three months after the segment aired, alabama court of appeals granted. Mcmillians story is one of the most wellknown cases of wrongful conviction, one that is being retold in the upcoming drama, just mercy, starring jamie foxx and michael b. Bryan stevensons just mercy tells the story of a lawyer fighting for those wrongfully accused and put on death row. Walter mcmillian was among the first exonerees from death row in the modern era. Now, thousands of undergraduate students, in addition to law students, will have a great opportunity to learn more about how the american justice system works, or as the case may be, often does not work. I ought to take you off and hang you like we done that n in mobile, referring to the lynching of michael donald. While mcmillian passed away in 20, his story continues to captivate and. Walter mcmillian national registry of exonerations. During my career, i have met many famous and influential men and women, but none has impressed me as much as bryan stevenson.
Walter often sought better work to support his family. Walter mcmillian was married to minnie mcmillian for 25 years. At the church meeting, i spoke mostly about walter s case, but i also reminded people that when the. Walter s legal case serves as the central storyline of the book. Ralph myers, the states main eyewitness, recanted his testimony to stevenson and oconnor. Bryan described his crusades and the mcmillian case in his book, just mercy, which was published in october 2014 and was an immediate and welldeserved bestseller.
Your honor it was far too easy to convict this wrongly accused man for murder and send him to death row for something he didnt do and much too hard to win his freedom after proving his innocence. Criminal justice questions in just mercy, a book by bryan stevenson criminal justice questions in just mercy, a book by bryan stevenson. Just mercy, the new film about crusading attorney bryan stevenson played by michael b. The public scandal of their interracial affair defames walter and infuriates some white residents of monroeville. What happened to the real walter mcmillian from just mercy. While reading the book just mercy i came across the case for two juveniles joe sullivan and charlie. Staying optimistic in a world where judges named robert e.
Mcmillan whose story is depicted in the movie just mercy premiering christmas day 2019 never got the happy ending he deserved after his release from prison in 1993. The jury recommended a life sentence, but on september 19, 1988, the judge overrode the jurys recommendation and imposed the death penalty. The film is based on the memoir of the same name, written by. Random house teachers and librarians just mercy teach. In the third chapter of just mercy, bryan stevenson details the plight of walter mcmillian in capital punishment system in alabama. Jordan and jamie foxx recall filming just mercy s emotional courtroom scene duration. Walter s truck was converted to a lowrider months after the murder despite hooks testifying that he saw walter s lowrider parked at the scene of the crime. Just mercy essay professor howard winant introduction to. The true story of walter mcmillans wrongful murder conviction and bryan stevenson delivering him from death row. Spoilers for just mercy below walter mcmillan spent six years on death row for a crime he didnt commit, but even after the alabama resident was exonerated, he remained tormented by his years behind bars.
The film just mercy chronicles the legal drama, based stevensons book of the same name. To understand the criminal justice system in america, its bias against africanamerican men and the death penalty, it is important to. The narrative turns to the case of walter mcmillian, a black man who was wrongfully convicted of killing a white woman and subsequently sentenced to death row. Stevenson went on 60 minutes, and they aired a segment on walter mcmillians case in 1992. Like in to kill a mockingbird, bryan stevenson delves deep into the broken u. It tells the true story of walter mcmillian, who, with the help of young defense attorney bryan stevenson, appeals his murder conviction. The character of karen kelly in just mercy from litcharts. Iss just mercy taylor lewis just mercy just mercy was a. On friday, the movie adaptation of the book, just mercy, was released nationwide. In discussing walter s case, stevenson explains how the racial bias and presumption of guilt that led to walter s conviction is directly linked to a history of segregation and slavery in. The essence of the gospel and the key to christian. It is about time we tell true america stories of wrongful imprisonment and death penalties. Jordan and jamie foxx star in just mercy, walter mcmillian, a wrongfully convicted man whose story serves as a reminder of the inequities in. In one of his most famous cases, stevenson helped exonerate a man on death row.
Completely dumbfounded with the arrest, walter s perspective gives the reader an inside look to the frighten world of death row. This was important to read because of card kaspers long record as an ecumenical and openminded high official of the church, and a longtime archbishop in germany who has been trying for decades to apply the churchs convictions about marriage to todays world. Jordan as bryan stevenson and jamie foxx as mcmillian. Criminal justice questions in just mercy, a book by bryan. He had a large, tightknit family and several children with his wife minnie, but, following an affair with a white woman, walter was falsely accused and.
I got a chance to watch the film just mercy, which tells the true story of walter mcmillian, who with the help of young defense attorney bryan stevenson appeals his murder conviction. Walter mcmillians case, lourida ruffins case, charlies case, and joe sullivans case. A story of justice and redemption by bryan stevenson. Before you check out jamie foxx in the new film just mercy, learn the true story of walter mcmillian, an alabama man wrongfully convicted for a brutal murder who spent six years on death row. It chronicles the prosecution, wrongful conviction and imprisonment on death row of walter mcmillian for a murder he did not commit. Walter mcmillian was convicted of killing 18yearold ronda morrison, who was found under a clothing rack at a.
Walter s sense of humor hadnt failed him despite his six years on death row. Just mercy takes us inside americas broken criminal justice system and compels us to confront inequality and injustice based on the bestselling book, the just mercy movie presents the unforgettable story of bryan stevenson michael b. The just mercy true story reveals that the real bryan stevenson took the case in 1988, the year of mcmillian s murder conviction. Mcmillian was convicted by a jury of eleven whites and one african american. Just mercy, director destin daniel crettons adaptation of bryan stevensons 2014 memoir, is about the exoneration of walter mcmillian, a black man. This film is based on the book by bryan stevenson, who is played by michael b. Finally he on the inside of the vatican, as a trusted confidant of pope francis. A 60 minutes segment and other national press coverage about his case led to other exonerations. Heroic measures had to be taken by attorney, bryan stevenson, to.
Jordan and the case of walter mcmillian academy award winner jamie foxx, who was convicted and sentenced to death for a crime he. Just mercy contained a numerous amount of great cases, and four of the cases stuck out to me. The new york times calls just mercy as compelling as to kill a mockingbird, and in some ways more so. A case of wrongful conviction walter mcmilian aka johnny d, 46, was wrongfully convicted for the murder of 18 year old ronda morrison. New york times, 17 october 2014 one lawyer s fight for young blacks and zjust mercy. The character of walter mcmillian in just mercy from. Jordan, focuses on walter mcmillian jamie foxx, a wrongfully convicted deathrow inmate from. Equal justice initiative bryan stevenson got walter mcmillians murder conviction overturned in 1993, after mcmillian spent six years on death row.