SAVE Willie Jerome Manning in Mississippi
APRIL 30th, 2015
Willie Jerome Manning was recently exonerated in the murders of two Starkville women in 1992.
Who is Willie Manning?
Willie Manning was brought up in a very poor household. He has been on Death Row since 1994, when he was 26; he turned 45 in June 2013. Willie has never married, but has one daughter, now aged 22. Willie’s daughter has not until recently been part of his life, but to his immense joy is now corresponding with him. He says that she is an important reason to fight for his freedom.
Willie Manning was brought up in a very poor household. He has been on Death Row since 1994, when he was 26; he turned 45 in June 2013. Willie has never married, but has one daughter, now aged 22. Willie’s daughter has not until recently been part of his life, but to his immense joy is now corresponding with him. He says that she is an important reason to fight for his freedom.
Case summary
Willie Manning has been convicted of two double murders (the murder of two white students in 1992, and the murder of two elderly African-American women in 1993). He maintains his absolute innocence in both cases. Read more on the justice4williewebsite
CASE 1 (Murder of two white students, 1992)
In the 1992 case, Willie Manning was sentenced to death for the murder of two white students. His execution was stopped only four hours before the lethal injection could take place, as the FBI and Department Of Justice admitted hair and ballistics testimony at his trial was flawed.
WATCH 9 MNS LEGAL REVIEW OF HIS CASE FOR Democracy Now, by Vanessa Potkin, Senior Staff Attorney at the Innocence Project (recorded May 2013).
CASE 2 - 1993
In the 1993 case, Willie was sentenced to death for the murder of 2 elderly African-American women. Critical to his conviction was the testimony of eye witnesses who admit today that they have committed perjury.
Update February 2015: WILLIE MANNING WINS A NEW TRIAL
after the state Supreme Court found police investigators withheld evidence from prosecutors and defense attorneys that showed a key state witness lied - READ MORE
WATCH 1.30 mn Exclusive interview from Likeesha Harris, key eye witness in the case admitting perjury because of the pressure from the Prosecution. Remorseful, she states today: "I know for a fact that he [Willie Manning] did not kill those two ladies because we were paid to lie to say that he did it".
- With thanks to Al Jazeera -
What the media say
2015
. The Justice Department & FBI formally acknowledge flawed forensic testimony, Washington Post (incl. video)
. Charges effectively dropped against Manning for '93 double homicide : Prosecutors will not move forward with a new murder trial against Willie Jerome Manning, who previously stood accused of killing two women 22 years ago, court documents show. The Dispatch, April 2015
2014
Willie Manning death row case conviction back before Mississippi Supreme Court, 1st September 2014, GulfLive.com
WATCH TV DOCUMENTARY BY JOE BERLINGER, FOCUSSING ON HIGHLIGHTING WILLIE MANNING'S CASE AS PART OF THE 27 CASES REVIEWED NATIONWIDE DUE TO HAIR FORENSICS
2015
. The Justice Department & FBI formally acknowledge flawed forensic testimony, Washington Post (incl. video)
. Charges effectively dropped against Manning for '93 double homicide : Prosecutors will not move forward with a new murder trial against Willie Jerome Manning, who previously stood accused of killing two women 22 years ago, court documents show. The Dispatch, April 2015
2014
Willie Manning death row case conviction back before Mississippi Supreme Court, 1st September 2014, GulfLive.com
WATCH TV DOCUMENTARY BY JOE BERLINGER, FOCUSSING ON HIGHLIGHTING WILLIE MANNING'S CASE AS PART OF THE 27 CASES REVIEWED NATIONWIDE DUE TO HAIR FORENSICS
- With thanks to Al Jazeera -
2013
Andrew Cohen, in the Atlantic writes:
What is happening in the Manning case, what happens often in capital cases, is that the vested interest state officials have in defending an old conviction becomes more important than the interest they once had in searching for the truth of a criminal case. At a certain point, prosecutors and judges say "enough is enough" and close themselves off to the possibility that old cases can have new endings.
READ Andrew Cohen's articles in The Atlantic, 2013
. A ghost of Mississippi,the Willie Manning case
. Feds acknowledge scientific errors in testimony in Willie Manning case
. Hours before execution, a State Court grants Willie Manning a stay
. Why are you defending a murderer
Andrew Cohen, in the Atlantic writes:
What is happening in the Manning case, what happens often in capital cases, is that the vested interest state officials have in defending an old conviction becomes more important than the interest they once had in searching for the truth of a criminal case. At a certain point, prosecutors and judges say "enough is enough" and close themselves off to the possibility that old cases can have new endings.
READ Andrew Cohen's articles in The Atlantic, 2013
. A ghost of Mississippi,the Willie Manning case
. Feds acknowledge scientific errors in testimony in Willie Manning case
. Hours before execution, a State Court grants Willie Manning a stay
. Why are you defending a murderer
What Willie says
“This is one of the worst things that any person could ever go through in their life. I would have never thought that I could last 16 years in a small cell and still (somehow) be able to hold on to a small bit of my sanity.”
You can read some of Willie’s poems at the justice4willie website, including ‘When Death Row Speaks’.
How many times have I shed tears …
How many people have to die …
Before this nation starts to realize
That this system’s all a lie?
Read more
LISTEN (50 secs) TO WILLIE's VIEW ABOUT HIS CASE AND INNOCENTS ON DEATH ROW IN AMERICA (Interviewed by J. Berlinger, Al Jazeera, Documentary aired in June 2014)
“This is one of the worst things that any person could ever go through in their life. I would have never thought that I could last 16 years in a small cell and still (somehow) be able to hold on to a small bit of my sanity.”
You can read some of Willie’s poems at the justice4willie website, including ‘When Death Row Speaks’.
How many times have I shed tears …
How many people have to die …
Before this nation starts to realize
That this system’s all a lie?
Read more
LISTEN (50 secs) TO WILLIE's VIEW ABOUT HIS CASE AND INNOCENTS ON DEATH ROW IN AMERICA (Interviewed by J. Berlinger, Al Jazeera, Documentary aired in June 2014)
What his supporters say
"Willie is an inspirational person. Despite the harsh conditions in which he is living, he has clung to the feeling that life is good and is worth living. Despite setback after setback, he has repeatedly forced his way back to strength and resolve, determined to show the world that he is not a murderer."
"Willie is an inspirational person. Despite the harsh conditions in which he is living, he has clung to the feeling that life is good and is worth living. Despite setback after setback, he has repeatedly forced his way back to strength and resolve, determined to show the world that he is not a murderer."
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Find out more
For all media enquiries contact Justice4Willie
For all media enquiries contact Justice4Willie
