Background
3 days
Sam Crook (and his posse)
What was different about the courtroom on the 2nd day of testimony?
metal detectors and German Shepherds at the doors to the courtroom
Why is this chapter titled "I'm Here!"?
Mrs.Williams repeated this several times as she found her seat and the judge was waiting to start the hearing. She seemed to want to prove she was brave enough to stand on the side of justice no matter what they did to try to intimidate her.
Where do Stevenson and O'Connor go after the hearing?
the beach (Bay Minette)
How long did the original trial take?
1 and a 1/2 days
Who did Stevenson say was sitting at the front of the courtroom behind the prosecution?
Ronda Morrison's parents
Who were the people who testified that Ralph told them he had been threatened and coerced to say Walter committed the murder even though he knew Walter was innocent?
Doctors from the mental health facility where Ralph had spent time.
Who were the six people called to testify on the 3rd day?
people who had been in jail with Walter (All said he told them that he was pressured to give false testimony and that he didn't even know Walter.)
How long has it been since Walter was first arrested?
5 years
The name of the filing that led to Stevenson getting a hearing for Walter
Rule 32
Stevenson invokes the rule of "sequestration." What is this?
He wanted the law enforcement officials who would be testifying to sit outside the courtroom. (Ikener, Tate, Benson, etc.)
What famous march did Mrs. Williams reference in her memory?
March to Selma
What was the most powerful evidence that Stevenson brought up on Day 3 of the trial?
The interrogation tapes (showed Tate, Benson, and Ikner threatening Ralph as he repeatedly said he didn't now anything about he Morrison murder or Walter McMillian)
What worry does O'Connor have?
What people will do to them now that they know how much evidence they have to prove Walter's innocence
What does Ralph say when Stevenson and O'Connor tell him to just relax and answer accurately and honestly?
"I always do."
According to the original trial testimony, why wasn't Walter able to "get rid of" Myers as the alleged white man in charge told him to do?
He was supposedly out of bullets.
Why was Mrs. Williams afraid of the German Shepherds?
During a protest in 1965, she had been part of a group marching for voting rights. Police had beaten them AND sicked German Shepherds on them. She had PTSD.
Who were the final two people called to testify on behalf of Walter?
His former lawyers (told what they could have done for Walter had they been given all the records/information that they were legally required to receive)
What does EJI stand for?
Equal Justice Initiative
Where were Ralph and Walter being held the morning of the hearing?
basement of the courthouse in holding cells
How did Woodrow Ikener's testimony help with Walter's case? What happened to him?
A police officer who was pressured to lie about where Ronda's body being moved. He refused and was discharged from the force.
Why was the testimony by the three professionals on day two so significant to the Rule 32 hearing?
Ralph made statements to these professionals BEFORE the original trial ever took place AND these records should have been turned over to the original lawyers for Walter's trial. (This showed prosecutorial misconduct.)
Once Stevenson was finished with his presentation of evidence, what did the State do?
Nothing. They did not provide any rebuttal whatsoever. (The judge told each side, the defense and the State, to write a brief arguing what ruling he should decide on and called the hearing done for the day.)
What was the name of the prison where Walter is going back to while he waits to hear the judge's ruling on the hearing?
Holman Prison in Alabama