Dovey Johnson Roundtree

He was described as this really large man who, you know, weighed nearly 200 pounds. That's historian Alexis Coe. Crump was small. He was, you know, about 5'5". I think he was about Roundtree's size, maybe 130 pounds. Dovey pressed on.

He was described as this really large man who, you know, weighed nearly 200 pounds. That's historian Alexis Coe. Crump was small. He was, you know, about 5'5". I think he was about Roundtree's size, maybe 130 pounds. Dovey pressed on.

The winning card here was that she was going to put Crump on the stand. And while she was nervous about the cross-examination, she was sure that he would appear to everyone else, to the jury, to the witnesses present that day, to reporters, the way that he had appeared to her, to put it in the most basic terms, simple.

The winning card here was that she was going to put Crump on the stand. And while she was nervous about the cross-examination, she was sure that he would appear to everyone else, to the jury, to the witnesses present that day, to reporters, the way that he had appeared to her, to put it in the most basic terms, simple.

That he lacked the resources, the motivation, and sort of the wherewithal to murder this random woman. Her colleagues disagreed.

That he lacked the resources, the motivation, and sort of the wherewithal to murder this random woman. Her colleagues disagreed.

And instead, she gets up and she tells the judge, I rest my case. Ray didn't testify. And she just leaves it at that. So that the prosecution, who had planned on cross-examining Crump, is left totally scrambling. They have no idea what to do in that moment.

And instead, she gets up and she tells the judge, I rest my case. Ray didn't testify. And she just leaves it at that. So that the prosecution, who had planned on cross-examining Crump, is left totally scrambling. They have no idea what to do in that moment.

They had this privilege. They sort of thought they had it in the bag, and she never felt that comfortable. There was no hubris here. She came prepared for sort of every situation. The fact that they didn't was, I think, a big surprise to her.

They had this privilege. They sort of thought they had it in the bag, and she never felt that comfortable. There was no hubris here. She came prepared for sort of every situation. The fact that they didn't was, I think, a big surprise to her.

I don't think she knew how powerful it was to make that decision that day, at that exact moment. And so she took... A huge risk for her case, for Crump, for the future of Black men who are going to be tried in this court, and decided to rest her case.

I don't think she knew how powerful it was to make that decision that day, at that exact moment. And so she took... A huge risk for her case, for Crump, for the future of Black men who are going to be tried in this court, and decided to rest her case.

And so when you look at someone like Ray Crump who finds himself in the middle of a case which clearly the authorities-to-be want someone to pay and they want to close it really quickly, someone who has not had an easy time up until that moment, and then you see them absolutely ruined by it as a historian, right? It's a pattern you're familiar with, but every time it's shocking.

And so when you look at someone like Ray Crump who finds himself in the middle of a case which clearly the authorities-to-be want someone to pay and they want to close it really quickly, someone who has not had an easy time up until that moment, and then you see them absolutely ruined by it as a historian, right? It's a pattern you're familiar with, but every time it's shocking.

And it's devastating because these are real people. Their lives were ruined.

And it's devastating because these are real people. Their lives were ruined.

He's not fleshed out for you. And you remember, right, this guy had a mom. He had five children. He had a wife. All of these people suffered. There were... You know, two victims that day. There was Mary Meyer and there was Ray Crump Jr. You know, Crump was acquitted, but he never stopped paying for it.

He's not fleshed out for you. And you remember, right, this guy had a mom. He had five children. He had a wife. All of these people suffered. There were... You know, two victims that day. There was Mary Meyer and there was Ray Crump Jr. You know, Crump was acquitted, but he never stopped paying for it.

Well, he knew he had a job coming up in civil service, and he thought he'd rather try that. He'd rather try that, and I could go on to law school, and, you know, we'd have a marriage. But there's a strenuous thing with law school. You ain't married to nobody but the law.

Well, he knew he had a job coming up in civil service, and he thought he'd rather try that. He'd rather try that, and I could go on to law school, and, you know, we'd have a marriage. But there's a strenuous thing with law school. You ain't married to nobody but the law.