Family members of 14-year-old George Stinney, who was executed 70 years for murdering two girls, say he was innocent and want the court to clear his name.
Lawyers for Stinney's family have demanded a new trial and say they have new witnesses and new evidence that will prove his innocence, reported Sky NEWS
"We think we have the opportunity here to make a difference, and correct a wrong that's been there for 70 years," said defense attorney Matt Burgess, reported CNN.
Stinney was accused of killing two white girls Betty June Binnicker, 11, and Mary Emma Thames, 7. Police arrested Stinney after he told someone he saw the dead bodies of the girls by the railroad tracks that divided the segregated town of Alcolu, southeast Columbia.
During the trial no witnesses or evidence were provided and it ended in less than three hours. The jury, all whites, convicted him of the murders and sentenced him to "be electrocuted, until your body be dead in accordance with law. And may God have mercy on your soul," according to the court documents. He was electrocuted just 84 days after the murder. He remains the youngest person to be executed in any American state since 1800s.
According to newspaper reports, executioners found it difficult to carry out the sentence due to Stinney's little size. He weighed 95lb and was 5ft 2in tall. Books were placed on the seats so that his height could be adjusted on the chair.
Katherine Stinney-Robinson, the sister of the deceased asked the court to do "whatever it takes to show that he was innocent". "I'm sure of it," the 79-year-old said. The new trial has begun in Sumter, South Carolina. Over 100 people crowded into the courtroom including two of Stinney's siblings. At the time of execution, Katherine was with the Stinney whole day.
Stinney's sister told local broadcaster WLTX that her brother was innocent and police forced a confession out of him. "[The police] were looking for someone to blame it on, so they used my brother as a scapegoat," Amie Ruffner (the sister) told the broadcaster.
