WEBVTT 1 00:00:07.240 --> 00:00:10.160 The nineteen forties were a time in North America where 2 00:00:10.199 --> 00:00:14.679 segregation was very prominent, keeping the lives of white and 3 00:00:14.759 --> 00:00:18.000 black people as separate as possible. It was tough for 4 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:21.120 many people, but in particular, it was tough for a 5 00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:24.800 young man by the name of George. George would find 6 00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:28.160 himself in the center of a murder case, and it 7 00:00:28.239 --> 00:00:31.559 was a young black man versus an entire system of 8 00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:36.320 white individuals looking dependent on him for all the wrong reasons. 9 00:00:37.399 --> 00:00:40.719 As a result, George would be left without any legal 10 00:00:40.759 --> 00:00:44.240 defense and on the receiving end of a conviction, dealing 11 00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:48.479 him a death sentence at the age of only fourteen 12 00:00:48.600 --> 00:00:55.439 years old. This is the story of George. Stinny. My 13 00:00:55.560 --> 00:00:56.679 name's Ben, I'm. 14 00:00:56.600 --> 00:01:00.719 Nicole, and you're listening to Wicked Angrim, a true crime podcast. 15 00:01:02.200 --> 00:01:10.280 The following audience listener. 16 00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:32.680 Keeping a short and sweet, Keeping a short and sweet. 17 00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:35.079 Hit the button, I hit the button, hit the button, 18 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:39.680 were recording, We got our drinks were chilling, and we're 19 00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:41.799 going to keep it short and sweet. So let's go 20 00:01:41.920 --> 00:01:43.519 right into Patreon today. 21 00:01:43.239 --> 00:01:44.560 Hill, Yes, do it. Yeah. 22 00:01:44.640 --> 00:01:46.280 So we had a lot of people to think who 23 00:01:46.319 --> 00:01:49.200 signed up over on Patreon If you're interested links down 24 00:01:49.239 --> 00:01:50.560 below you can get a lot of behind the scenes 25 00:01:50.560 --> 00:01:53.359 stuff and exclusive content. And today we got to thank 26 00:01:53.719 --> 00:01:55.200 and pre show and pre show. 27 00:01:55.280 --> 00:01:57.760 We just did a pre show. That's exclusive content, right, 28 00:01:57.879 --> 00:01:59.159 tuche it is, I guess. 29 00:01:59.239 --> 00:02:04.480 Yeah. So we got to thank Darien bnot Petra Bogger, 30 00:02:05.239 --> 00:02:09.479 Lorraine Olander and I'm gonna probably get your name wrong, 31 00:02:09.520 --> 00:02:14.479 but I'm gonna try Jillydore or Gilly Door. I don't know, okay, 32 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:17.919 but one of the two awesome. Either way. We appreciate 33 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:20.439 the shit out of you think shinning up and supporting 34 00:02:20.520 --> 00:02:22.199 us over means a lot. 35 00:02:22.240 --> 00:02:23.680 It really does, It really does. 36 00:02:24.280 --> 00:02:27.400 So it's early in the morning, we barely have our 37 00:02:27.400 --> 00:02:31.000 wits about us. Thankfully. I have coffee. Nicole doesn't, but 38 00:02:31.159 --> 00:02:32.080 she's not a coffee drink. 39 00:02:32.120 --> 00:02:34.919 Well green tea though, right, caffeinated. 40 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:40.039 Yeah, there's caffeine in there. Touche touche. But I think 41 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:43.680 us maybe not being super high on energy today may 42 00:02:43.719 --> 00:02:45.759 be beneficial for this case, because I think it's one 43 00:02:45.759 --> 00:02:48.439 of those ones that we really need to like, let's 44 00:02:48.479 --> 00:02:50.639 sink in on what the fuck happened here? 45 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:53.360 Yeah? You did? This is one that you mentioned a 46 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:54.039 bit to me about. 47 00:02:54.120 --> 00:02:57.000 It's like well, I think I only really told her 48 00:02:57.560 --> 00:02:59.639 what was said in the intro of this basically yea, 49 00:03:00.199 --> 00:03:03.479 and yeah, it's it's kind of fucked up. It's super 50 00:03:03.520 --> 00:03:08.000 shitty what happened. And it's very interesting to see where 51 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:12.400 the support actually even some of the support came from 52 00:03:12.439 --> 00:03:16.039 for George throughout this case. But we're going to get 53 00:03:16.080 --> 00:03:17.439 into this. I don't want to give too much away. 54 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:21.000 So you ready to just go into the story of 55 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:24.120 George Stinty. Yeah, okay, I totally am. Okay, Well, his 56 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:29.080 story is fucked up, but it centers around, you know him, 57 00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:31.840 It centers around George Stinney. Now, George was a fourteen 58 00:03:31.879 --> 00:03:34.800 year old boy from a place called al Kalou, which 59 00:03:34.840 --> 00:03:38.280 is in South Carolina, and this story takes place. We're 60 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:40.280 going back to nineteen forty. 61 00:03:39.960 --> 00:03:41.360 Four, Okay, way back. 62 00:03:41.560 --> 00:03:44.639 So George was just about five foot one inch tall 63 00:03:44.759 --> 00:03:47.680 and weighed between ninety and ninety five pounds and lived 64 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:50.680 in a modest home with his family, which included his father, 65 00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:56.479 George Stinny Senior, his mother Amy Brown Stinny, his brother Charles, 66 00:03:56.479 --> 00:04:01.120 and his sisters Catherine and Amy. Now the family lived 67 00:04:01.159 --> 00:04:05.319 together in a company owned housing unit. Now this was 68 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:07.759 part of the working conditions where George's father worked. So 69 00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:10.599 he worked at a local sawmill and as such, you know, 70 00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:12.439 anyone who worked there got to live in like the 71 00:04:12.840 --> 00:04:16.319 housing units for the company. Okay, I think it's very 72 00:04:16.399 --> 00:04:18.519 kind of kind of similar to how it's like when 73 00:04:18.519 --> 00:04:21.360 you're like out doing like camp work. You know, yeah, 74 00:04:21.399 --> 00:04:23.360 something kind of like that. But by the sounds of it, 75 00:04:23.879 --> 00:04:25.680 you know, they are still in a town. It's it's 76 00:04:25.720 --> 00:04:28.000 just that same application. But yeah, well. 77 00:04:27.959 --> 00:04:30.879 Yeah, especially to back then, wasn't it more normal right 78 00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:34.240 to have your work also provide your housing, I think, so, 79 00:04:34.480 --> 00:04:36.079 I mean that's I don't know, I kind of like that, 80 00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:37.680 but it probably it might not have been the best 81 00:04:37.680 --> 00:04:38.920 of housing too, right. 82 00:04:38.920 --> 00:04:40.680 So yeah, who knows. And I mean if you lose 83 00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:42.959 your job, then you lose your house too, so true, 84 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:44.519 which I mean for a lot of people that's the 85 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:46.160 case anyways, because they just can't afford it. 86 00:04:46.079 --> 00:04:46.480 Then, right. 87 00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:49.959 But yeah, so the town where they live, though, Alkalou 88 00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:52.879 was a small working class town typical in the South 89 00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:55.959 during the era. Now, however, it is much different than 90 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:59.199 what you're probably really picturing. It is kind of today. 91 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:02.920 This had railroad tracks running right down the middle and 92 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:05.839 where these tracks ran right through the town, it created 93 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:09.240 a line that divided the white community from the black community. 94 00:05:09.319 --> 00:05:13.959 Oh jeez, yeah, that whole segregation era, right, George and 95 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:16.879 his family were living on the segregated black community side, 96 00:05:17.319 --> 00:05:20.600 and interaction between both neighborhoods, the white neighborhood and the 97 00:05:20.600 --> 00:05:25.199 black neighborhood was absolutely minimal. For example, there were separate schools, 98 00:05:25.399 --> 00:05:29.199 there were separate churches, there was separate shopping centers for 99 00:05:29.319 --> 00:05:32.959 each race. This era in history was a harsh reality 100 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:35.920 of segregation that is still hard for many people to 101 00:05:35.959 --> 00:05:41.959 face and understand today. The racist the segregation, it was 102 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:44.879 just all rampant at the time, especially in South Carolina, 103 00:05:45.079 --> 00:05:50.000 Carolina and across the southern United States. So this segregation 104 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:53.639 had even been legally enforced from the late nineteenth century 105 00:05:53.720 --> 00:05:57.399 up until the mid twentieth century and aim to uphold 106 00:05:57.439 --> 00:06:01.800 white dominance after slavery was was abolished. So it actually 107 00:06:01.839 --> 00:06:05.160 went for like a lot longer than many people are 108 00:06:05.199 --> 00:06:09.519 really aware for. And yeah, I mean there's still residual 109 00:06:09.680 --> 00:06:14.439 stuff playing today, which is terrible, but that's unfortunately the 110 00:06:14.439 --> 00:06:16.040 world we're living in today. 111 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:20.199 Yeah, we've come aways, but gosh, there's always further you 112 00:06:20.199 --> 00:06:21.879 can go, right, Oh, that we should go. 113 00:06:21.959 --> 00:06:26.879 Yeah, So African Americans were forced to endure separate but 114 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:29.519 equal facilities. You know, as I mentioned all these different 115 00:06:29.560 --> 00:06:31.800 places being like, oh, you get a shopping center and 116 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:34.560 we get a shopping center. They're separate but equal. But yeah, 117 00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:38.639 they were not equal. They were often very inferior in quality, 118 00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:43.240 and they face a lot of systemic eclusion from political 119 00:06:43.279 --> 00:06:47.199 as well economic and social opportunities. This whole equal thing, Yeah, 120 00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:51.160 it was not equal whatsoever. So that brings us into 121 00:06:51.279 --> 00:06:54.560 March twenty third, nineteen forty four, eleven year old Betty 122 00:06:54.639 --> 00:06:58.560 June Binnaker and seven year old Mary Elma Thames set 123 00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:01.160 out on their bikes and so of some flowers. They're 124 00:07:01.160 --> 00:07:03.560 gonna go pick some flowers for the day, right, So 125 00:07:03.560 --> 00:07:06.040 as they rode through the town, they encountered George Stinney, 126 00:07:06.160 --> 00:07:07.839 you know, the fourteen year old boy that we were 127 00:07:07.879 --> 00:07:11.600 just talking about, and his younger sister Amy. The girl 128 00:07:11.639 --> 00:07:13.879 stopped to ask the siblings if they knew where they 129 00:07:13.879 --> 00:07:17.040 could find may pops, which were an edible fruit from 130 00:07:17.160 --> 00:07:21.759 a passion flower. Now, tragically, in this conversation, in this 131 00:07:21.959 --> 00:07:26.240 encounter with George and his sister Amy. This this would 132 00:07:26.279 --> 00:07:29.160 be the last time these two girls were seen alive. 133 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:30.759 Oh Man. 134 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:35.879 Betty June Binnaker and Mary Emma Thames, both white, never 135 00:07:36.079 --> 00:07:40.920 returned home, sparking a massive search involving hundreds of Alkalo residents, 136 00:07:41.079 --> 00:07:44.040 including George Sr. George's father. 137 00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:45.199 Yeah. 138 00:07:45.399 --> 00:07:49.240 The next day the two girls were found. Their lifeless 139 00:07:49.279 --> 00:07:51.879 bodies were discovered in a water logged ditch on the 140 00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:57.439 backside of the tracks, on the black side of the tracks. 141 00:07:58.399 --> 00:08:02.600 When they were asking about out the flowers or whatever, 142 00:08:02.639 --> 00:08:03.800 what side were they on. 143 00:08:03.800 --> 00:08:08.279 You know, off hand or I don't know, I'm not certain. 144 00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:11.079 I'm going to assume they were over on the black 145 00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:14.560 segregated side, because I would imagine that, you know, whites 146 00:08:14.600 --> 00:08:16.480 would feel much more comfortable crossing that. 147 00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:20.279 Line than the other way around, right right. 148 00:08:20.160 --> 00:08:25.240 Yeah, So Doctor Asbury Cecil Bozard, who examined the girls, 149 00:08:25.319 --> 00:08:28.639 found no obvious signs of struggle, but their death had 150 00:08:28.680 --> 00:08:32.759 been brutal. Mary had a hole punched through her forehead 151 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:36.039 into her skull and a deep cut above her right eyebrow, 152 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:40.279 while Betty had sustained at least seven blows to the head, 153 00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:45.320 leaving the back of her skull shattered beyond recognition. Ohly shit, Yeah, 154 00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:47.720 it's a fucking it was a brutal one. 155 00:08:47.799 --> 00:08:49.039 Yeah, and these are kids. 156 00:08:49.159 --> 00:08:52.480 Yeah. So doctor Bozard concluded that the girls had been 157 00:08:52.519 --> 00:08:55.559 beaten with something to inflict these failed injuries, but it 158 00:08:55.600 --> 00:08:58.080 was unclear on exactly what was used in their murder. 159 00:08:58.159 --> 00:09:00.519 It is suggested by many that was a piece of 160 00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:03.559 blunt metal, perhaps a railroad spike, or possibly a hammer 161 00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:07.320 and to quote the medical examiner quote, inflicted by a 162 00:09:07.320 --> 00:09:11.559 blunt instrument with a round head the size about sorry 163 00:09:11.559 --> 00:09:12.960 about the size of a hammer. 164 00:09:13.399 --> 00:09:15.639 Okay, yeah, so it probably was then. 165 00:09:15.799 --> 00:09:17.799 Very well could have been, that's for sure. Or I 166 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:20.960 mean you're at railway track. There's lots of times railway spikes, 167 00:09:21.000 --> 00:09:23.559 you know, laying around or whatever one comes loose like 168 00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:28.480 things like that, right, right, so yeah. The medical examiner 169 00:09:29.240 --> 00:09:33.320 did also investigate further into their autopsy and did not 170 00:09:33.480 --> 00:09:36.960 find any evidence of sexual assault, though there was reported 171 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:41.480 bruising on one of the girl's genitalia, but not attributed 172 00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:45.519 to sexual assault. Okay, yeah, I mean maybe she like 173 00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:48.519 riding bikes or something. Maybe she did a little jump, 174 00:09:48.559 --> 00:09:50.720 like who knows, there's a million things something that could 175 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:54.159 come from maybe wrestling with a sibling she got kicked 176 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:57.279 or booted, like who knows it was, but he was 177 00:09:57.360 --> 00:09:59.919 not attributed to sexual assault, which is important. 178 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:03.919 Yeah, that's so damn sad though, though, Like they were 179 00:10:03.960 --> 00:10:07.639 just going out for a ride looking for freaking flowers. 180 00:10:08.039 --> 00:10:12.879 Yep, damn, I'm just out trying to find maypops, which 181 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:14.799 in itself is like one of the most innocent fucking 182 00:10:14.840 --> 00:10:17.080 things you can think of. Yeah, and it ends in murder. 183 00:10:17.519 --> 00:10:22.639 Yeah, that's just like it just makes you how your 184 00:10:22.639 --> 00:10:28.200 heart just like I don't almost shiver up and shiver up, 185 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:31.080 shrivel up, shrivel die. Yeah. 186 00:10:32.159 --> 00:10:34.399 God, Well, it's like something that's so innocent turns so 187 00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:36.480 dark so fast, and it's just like, why the fuck 188 00:10:36.600 --> 00:10:37.480 was that taken away? 189 00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:38.120 Yeah? 190 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:41.360 But so now there is a bit of a problem here. 191 00:10:42.039 --> 00:10:44.840 Despite the circulating rumors that the girls had been visited 192 00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:49.399 by a very prominent white family on that day, the 193 00:10:49.480 --> 00:10:52.120 very day that they were murdered, the authority showed very 194 00:10:52.120 --> 00:10:54.840 little interest in pursuing any of the leads that might 195 00:10:54.919 --> 00:11:01.039 suggest this potential white perpetrator was at Las large. 196 00:11:01.279 --> 00:11:03.519 Well, yeah, because that would be too hard, right. 197 00:11:04.159 --> 00:11:07.279 Instead, when a witness mentioned seeing the girls speak with George, 198 00:11:08.360 --> 00:11:10.519 the police immediately went to his home. 199 00:11:11.000 --> 00:11:13.399 That's some serious bullshit right there. 200 00:11:13.720 --> 00:11:17.240 Yep. Now, George and his older brother were arrested on 201 00:11:17.320 --> 00:11:21.519 suspicion of murdering the girls and were taken away in handcuffs. 202 00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:25.080 That is just some serious bullshit right there, yep. 203 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:28.039 Specifically because someone said I saw them talk and they. 204 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:30.120 Were literally just talking, helping them try to find some 205 00:11:30.159 --> 00:11:30.960 fucking flowers. 206 00:11:31.080 --> 00:11:33.440 Yeah, and they were taken away in handcuffs like that. 207 00:11:33.879 --> 00:11:34.639 Oh boy. 208 00:11:35.399 --> 00:11:38.639 Now, after a while, George's brother was released by the police, 209 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:41.639 but George, on the other hand, was held in custody. 210 00:11:42.679 --> 00:11:46.960 George was interrogated for hours without the presence of his parents, 211 00:11:47.399 --> 00:11:52.639 without the presence of legal counsel or any witnesses at all, 212 00:11:53.080 --> 00:11:57.799 which means it was George and the police for hours. 213 00:11:57.440 --> 00:12:00.720 Which is like, is that even allowed? It's not nowadays, 214 00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:03.000 but like it have been then, I don't even know. 215 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:04.440 Technically would not have been. 216 00:12:04.519 --> 00:12:04.559 No. 217 00:12:05.159 --> 00:12:09.200 Oh so Now, the next day, on March twenty fourth, 218 00:12:09.279 --> 00:12:13.360 nineteen forty four, while George was still in custody, the newspaper, 219 00:12:13.759 --> 00:12:16.759 the wire Service as it was called, printed an article 220 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:21.039 regarding the whole situation and on this article, they announced 221 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:24.440 that George was arrested in relation for the murder. 222 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:25.720 Wow. 223 00:12:26.279 --> 00:12:29.200 But the paper had also heard word from the police 224 00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:34.120 that George had made a confession in questioning and printed 225 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:40.039 that as well. George Stinney was officially being charged with 226 00:12:40.120 --> 00:12:41.759 the murder of the two girls. 227 00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:45.559 Man, that's wild, hey, Like, do they not have an 228 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:49.159 innocent until proven guilty thing back then? And like the 229 00:12:49.279 --> 00:12:51.399 newspaper is just freaking releasing this. 230 00:12:51.919 --> 00:12:56.399 Yeah, I mean I know for a fact that there 231 00:12:56.639 --> 00:13:00.000 was proper trials. I mean, they gave people proper trials 232 00:13:00.039 --> 00:13:06.759 before nineteen forty. But the fact of race just played 233 00:13:06.879 --> 00:13:08.879 such a big card in this. So like, oh, he's 234 00:13:08.919 --> 00:13:13.519 fucking guilty. And also, like, listen to this because according 235 00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:17.360 to a handwritten statement made by the arresting officer, HS Newman, 236 00:13:18.440 --> 00:13:20.200 So this is where the big thing comes in. They're 237 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:23.840 taking this officer's word for it. He stated, quote, I 238 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:26.360 arrested a boy by the name of George Stinney. He 239 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:28.440 then made a confession and told me where to find 240 00:13:28.440 --> 00:13:31.279 a piece of iron about fifteen inches where he said 241 00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:33.519 he put it in a ditch about six feet from 242 00:13:33.559 --> 00:13:38.440 the bicycles. So this officer is claiming George confessed and 243 00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:42.639 showed him where the murder weapon was. However, he did 244 00:13:42.679 --> 00:13:45.799 not have a murder weapon. No one witnessed this confession. 245 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:49.200 It's just this officer's statement. 246 00:13:50.080 --> 00:13:51.840 Wow, hey, which is. 247 00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:55.240 A white officer versus a black kid? 248 00:13:56.559 --> 00:13:59.919 Oh my gosh. Okay, yeah, that is not all right. 249 00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:03.679 No, So during all this, while George was being held, 250 00:14:03.720 --> 00:14:05.639 he was not allowed to see his parents, and they 251 00:14:05.639 --> 00:14:08.279 said until after the trial and any convictions that were 252 00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:11.519 to follow as well. They were holding him and that 253 00:14:11.879 --> 00:14:12.519 was that. 254 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:18.200 And he's like fourteen fourteen, So they're just like pushing 255 00:14:18.200 --> 00:14:21.720 a big old easy button really instead of drewing their job. 256 00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:25.279 One hundred percent. And they're doing that because they're fucking 257 00:14:25.399 --> 00:14:29.600 racist pieces of shit. Yeah yeah wow. So, now, as 258 00:14:29.639 --> 00:14:32.519 a result of the murders and the subsequent arrest of George, 259 00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:35.679 his father, George Senior, was fired from his job at 260 00:14:35.679 --> 00:14:36.240 the sawmill. 261 00:14:36.480 --> 00:14:37.519 Oh my gosh. 262 00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:40.879 Course the entire family to vacate their company provided house 263 00:14:40.960 --> 00:14:44.039 in Alkalou. Now I'm not too sure what they did 264 00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:47.480 after this, but as far as I can guess, my 265 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:49.600 best guess is that they did have to actually flee 266 00:14:49.639 --> 00:14:52.039 Alkalou because there was a lot of issues with this 267 00:14:52.159 --> 00:14:56.120 case and threats and everything. Well, yeah, so they were 268 00:14:56.159 --> 00:15:01.120 not even around to provide support for George if it 269 00:15:01.159 --> 00:15:03.279 was even granted. But it wasn't even granted, you know, 270 00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:05.639 so they had to leave for their own safety. Now, 271 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:07.639 don't get me wrong, they were coming back. They were 272 00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:09.799 like around when they needed to be. It was just like, 273 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:12.360 we can't be living here or find another house here. 274 00:15:12.360 --> 00:15:13.679 We got to go like next town overs. 275 00:15:13.799 --> 00:15:15.639 Well, yeah, the town wouldn't have allowed them to. 276 00:15:15.919 --> 00:15:19.799 No, And actually, like George was, they had to be 277 00:15:19.879 --> 00:15:21.679 careful with George too, because there's a lot of issues, 278 00:15:21.720 --> 00:15:24.039 like they're concerned that people were going to like lynch 279 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:26.440 them and just take justice into their own hands sort 280 00:15:26.440 --> 00:15:29.519 of thing. Oh okay, they're like, no, we gotta take 281 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:32.240 care of it, not you guys. Right. So, during his 282 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:36.399 eighty one day confinement and brief trial, which we'll talk 283 00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:39.480 about here in a bit, George wasn't able to receive 284 00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:42.039 any support and that includes, like I said, already with 285 00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:46.519 his family, but it goes beyond that, which again in 286 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:49.360 the trial we will touch on. But he was detained 287 00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:52.279 in the jail in Columbia, South Carolina, about fifty miles 288 00:15:52.279 --> 00:15:55.600 away and that's where they actually held him because of 289 00:15:55.639 --> 00:15:58.200 the threat of the lynching, so they couldn't even hold 290 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:01.879 him in the town either. Okay, So this isolation only 291 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:05.240 made the whole tragedy of George's ordeal worse for him, 292 00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:09.240 as he was reportedly faced he faced this whole process 293 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:15.200 without any legal guidance, like he had legal defense, but 294 00:16:15.320 --> 00:16:19.039 he didn't. We'll get into it. So the whole legal 295 00:16:19.039 --> 00:16:22.559 process against George moved forward with a really fast pace, 296 00:16:22.759 --> 00:16:25.759 beginning just a month after his arrest. On April twenty fourth, 297 00:16:25.799 --> 00:16:30.039 nineteen forty four, the jury selection and trial were completed 298 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:32.960 in a single day. George was represented by a man 299 00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:37.360 named Charles Plowden, a court appointed attorney who just so 300 00:16:37.399 --> 00:16:44.720 happened to be a tax commissioner running for local office. 301 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:48.799 Okay, which says, what, wow, do you want to go 302 00:16:48.840 --> 00:16:50.080 ahead and take your thoughts on that or do you 303 00:16:50.120 --> 00:16:54.279 want me to say it? You say it. 304 00:16:54.919 --> 00:16:57.399 He wants to be popular with the public, so he 305 00:16:57.679 --> 00:17:00.799 is going to just do what the public wants because 306 00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:04.200 he's like, hey, my motivation is basically saying that I 307 00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:06.119 want to stay in the good graces of the white 308 00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:09.400 majority here because I'm pretty sure blacks at the time 309 00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:10.920 weren't even allowed to fucking vote. 310 00:17:11.559 --> 00:17:14.359 Holy shit. Hey, so he's all like. 311 00:17:14.480 --> 00:17:20.319 I'm gonna please the white folk and I'm gonna yeah, holy. 312 00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:22.799 This this case is just like gonna break my fucking heart. 313 00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:23.759 This is brutal. 314 00:17:23.880 --> 00:17:32.160 Oh, it's fucked. It is fucked. So the attorney, Charles Plowden, 315 00:17:33.079 --> 00:17:37.119 did not contest the testimony of the three officers who 316 00:17:37.160 --> 00:17:39.799 actually went and stood try and stood up on stand 317 00:17:39.880 --> 00:17:42.759 during the trial. And these officers claimed that George had 318 00:17:42.799 --> 00:17:46.440 confessed to the murders of Betty June Minaker and Mary 319 00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:47.200 Emma Thames. 320 00:17:47.319 --> 00:17:49.319 But they had it doesn't seem like they probably had 321 00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:50.279 a lick of evidence. 322 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:53.480 No, they had no proof nothing. It was just their word. 323 00:17:54.079 --> 00:17:56.880 And even if he did confess, you're telling me, it's 324 00:17:56.880 --> 00:17:58.839 not gonna be coerced from being in a fucking locked 325 00:17:58.880 --> 00:17:59.359 up room. 326 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:01.319 With officers for oh yeah, like who knows what the 327 00:18:01.319 --> 00:18:03.880 fuck they were doing to him exactly. Now. 328 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:07.519 Furthermore, this fucking plowed in douchebag. He didn't even address 329 00:18:07.559 --> 00:18:11.839 the inconsistencies in the prosecution's case that were present, which 330 00:18:11.880 --> 00:18:16.880 were two conflicting versions of George's supposed confession. One account, 331 00:18:16.920 --> 00:18:20.920 George allegedly killed the girls in self defense after they 332 00:18:20.960 --> 00:18:24.240 attacked him when he tried to assist one of them 333 00:18:24.359 --> 00:18:26.519 that had fallen in the ditch. And then the other 334 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:29.319 version of the confession, George was said to have followed 335 00:18:29.319 --> 00:18:35.400 the girls, first attacking Mary and then returning to attack Betty. Okay, 336 00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:40.680 so on these alleged confessions, there's not even consistency in 337 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:41.559 the confessions. 338 00:18:42.119 --> 00:18:44.279 Wow, but it doesn't even matter really. 339 00:18:44.440 --> 00:18:48.400 Yeah, and this fucking plowed and douche didn't even fucking 340 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:50.279 speak up on that shit. He's just like me whatever. 341 00:18:50.359 --> 00:18:52.839 Well, yeah, because he's not there, he like his intention 342 00:18:53.079 --> 00:18:55.519 is not to help George whatsoever. 343 00:18:55.680 --> 00:18:57.799 No, his intention is probably to make him fucking go down. 344 00:18:58.039 --> 00:18:59.960 Yeah. 345 00:19:00.319 --> 00:19:03.759 There was no written or signed confession from George. There 346 00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:06.319 was only evidence of a confession. A sorry. The only 347 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:08.759 evidence of a confession came from a statement made by 348 00:19:08.599 --> 00:19:12.200 the officer earlier, which was the one who who was 349 00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:15.039 the arresting officer, said that he found he led me 350 00:19:15.119 --> 00:19:16.559 to the murder weapon and all this sort of shit. 351 00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:19.960 It was just the written statement from the officer. That's 352 00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:22.640 the only piece of evidence of any confession that ever 353 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:25.640 came forward, which was not even a piece of evidence 354 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:27.599 at all, because I can easily write on a piece 355 00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:31.119 of paper, Nicole just confess that I'm the sexiest man alive. 356 00:19:32.440 --> 00:19:36.400 And you're like, no, Channing Tatum clearly, Henry Cavill like. 357 00:19:36.359 --> 00:19:36.960 What the fuck? 358 00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:40.599 But like you see what I mean though, right, Like, 359 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:42.720 just because you write something down doesn't mean fuck all. 360 00:19:42.920 --> 00:19:45.920 No, yeah, I mean, anyone can write whatever the fuck 361 00:19:45.960 --> 00:19:46.920 they want exactly. 362 00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:50.839 So, despite these glaring issues, the defense attorney did not 363 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:54.799 challenge the validity of the alleged confessions or anything else 364 00:19:54.920 --> 00:19:58.839 at all for that matter. The prosecution also presented testimony 365 00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:03.240 of three witnesses, Reverend Francis Bastin, who was one the 366 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:05.240 one who actually discovered the bodies of the two girls, 367 00:20:05.599 --> 00:20:09.519 along with the two doctors who conducted the post mortem examination. Now, 368 00:20:09.559 --> 00:20:12.240 despite the examiner, as I already mentioned, saying there was 369 00:20:12.319 --> 00:20:15.960 no sexual assault that occurred, the court decided they would 370 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:18.880 permit the discussion of the possibility of rape based on 371 00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:23.799 the bruising mentioned in the report that was found. Oh boy, 372 00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:28.160 so the fucking dude. The medical examiners like, she was 373 00:20:28.200 --> 00:20:29.119 not raped. 374 00:20:29.319 --> 00:20:31.480 But the court now they're like, well maybe she was. 375 00:20:31.559 --> 00:20:33.920 Yeah, They're like, well, there was a bruise you found, 376 00:20:34.200 --> 00:20:38.519 let's discuss the possibility of George raping her, Like, are 377 00:20:38.519 --> 00:20:39.440 you fucking kidding? 378 00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:45.519 Oh my gosh, okay, I'm just like literally all I 379 00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:48.279 can think about is just like George sitting there like 380 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:53.720 no support whatsoever, and just like I don't even know 381 00:20:53.839 --> 00:20:56.599 what would be going through his mind because he's so young, lady, 382 00:20:56.599 --> 00:20:57.160 he's a kid. 383 00:20:58.960 --> 00:21:02.720 Well from his perspective. It gets worse here. I'll touch 384 00:21:02.759 --> 00:21:05.880 on it in just one second, because yeah, he had 385 00:21:05.880 --> 00:21:09.279 no one in the court with him, even his defense. 386 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:12.759 His family wasn't present, but we'll get into that shortly. 387 00:21:13.880 --> 00:21:16.640 So his attorney didn't call a single witness to stand. 388 00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:19.440 He also did not cross examine any of those brought 389 00:21:19.480 --> 00:21:23.319 by the prosecutions. Yeah, he did nothing, did nothing, not 390 00:21:23.359 --> 00:21:25.440 even a single question of cross examination. 391 00:21:25.559 --> 00:21:25.880 Nothing. 392 00:21:27.359 --> 00:21:30.039 The entire presentation of the case lasted just two and 393 00:21:30.079 --> 00:21:32.799 a half hours, and at that time George was left 394 00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:37.160 quite literally defenseless. So, as I mentioned, we're going to 395 00:21:37.160 --> 00:21:40.200 touch on how his perspective was in that courtroom. To 396 00:21:40.240 --> 00:21:42.920 make matters even worse for fourteen year old George, the 397 00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:49.119 courtroom was filled with over one thousand white spectators, while 398 00:21:49.160 --> 00:21:52.640 black citizens, including his own family, were barred from attention. 399 00:21:52.279 --> 00:21:56.720 Allowed in like, so he was literally the only person 400 00:21:56.759 --> 00:21:57.759 of color in there. 401 00:21:57.799 --> 00:22:00.319