Bryan Stevenson
๐ค SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
And after several months, the community was very frustrated with the police and the prosecutors for not solving the crime.
The young 18-year-old was killed and
broad daylight in the middle of downtown Monroeville.
And the pressure was building, and we believe that led them to Mr. McMillan, not because they had any evidence of his guilt, but because Mr. McMillan had had an affair with a young white woman in the community, and word had spread about that.
And that caused them to focus on him.
Now, it turns out that at the time of the murder, Mr. McMillan was actually at his house raising money for his sister's church, so he was surrounded by 30, 35 people.
A police officer who had gone to the place to buy, they were having a fish fry and selling sandwiches.
So a police officer bought a sandwich and noted, bought a sandwich from Walter McMillan at almost the exact time of the crime, which was 11 miles away.
But the police arrested Mr. McMillan.
They coerced two people to testify falsely against him.
They put him on death row before the trial took place.
Is that legal?
It's completely illegal.
That's right.
So the lawyers didn't complain about the fact that the newspapers were now saying Death Row defendant Walter McMillan will be arraigned next week.
Death Row defendant.
They were already characterizing him as
as someone who should get the death penalty.
The trial takes place and lasts for a day and a half.
These two witnesses give these false testimony.