Black Teen Absolved of 1944 Murder

A judge in South Carolina tossed out the 1944 murder conviction of a 14-year-old black teenager convicted of killing two girls. In her ruling, Judge Carmen Mullen said she found "fundamental, Constitutional violations of due process" in George Stinny Jr.'s prosecution. Stinny was accused of killing 11-year-old Betty Binnicker and 7-year-old Mary Emma Thames, both of whom were white. An all-white jury heard the case and rendered a guilty verdict after 10 minutes. Stinny was executed by electric chair. Mullen did make clear in her ruling that she was not making a judgment about whether or not Stinney was innocent.