If you think that you have already suffered a lot and life has been very unfair to you then here is an inspiring story for you. The man you see in the picture isn’t a millionaire or some president, but is a synonym for hope and survival. He is Anthony Ray Hinton, the man who was held on death row and served 30 years in prison, for a crime he did not commit!
Yeah, you read that right. Serving imprisonment in a 5’x 7′ cell for a crime one didn’t commit isn’t an easy thing to deal with.
Why was Anthony arrested?
Anthony is a resident of Alabama, USA and was held guilty of robbery and murder of two restaurant managers. It all started in 1985 when two white policemen came to arrest Hinton on these false charges. He signified his innocence and said that he was working when the crime took place, but unfortunately, Anthony was being targeted because the victim who survived the attack mentioned that the suspect was black. The case had no eyewitness nor were there any fingerprints that could prove that Anthony was guilty; the only evidence against Anthony was that the ballistics test matched his mother’s dusty revolver.
How was jail time for Anthony initially and how it changed?
Being a victim of racism and falsely accused guilty by the jury, surely disturbed Anthony; he was young at that time and had a lot of rage and anger for the people who did this to him. His emotions of rage continued for three years and finally came to an end with the love and hope his mother gave to him. His mother used to say that, one is only responsible for how he treats others and not how others treat him. Later that day, Anthony took life very positively and tried to help everyone and made people laugh with his humor and skills. He stopped worrying about what may happen to him and enjoyed every possible moment that he could.
How Anthony used to pass time in prison?
Anthony shared his experience about how he used to get over his boredom by using his imagination in prison. He said that he was married to Halle Berry in his imaginary world and shared his experiences about how Halle would avoid spending money and frequently refer him as “dear!”
He then added that, later he divorced Halle for Speed movie actress Sandra Bullock and his former imaginary wife, Halle, happily left him without asking for any alimony. The audience in UNM law school burst out to laughter after listening to this.
How was Anthony found innocent?
Anthony spent years proving that the revolver found in his mother’s closet does not match the bullets from the crime scene and that the ballistics test was wrong. Anthony also received help from Brayan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative(EJI). After filing petitions for many years, demanding to reanalyze the revolver, three independent experts stood in favor of Anthony and said there was no way the revolver would have been used in the crime. Now, even though the ballistics test was in favor of Anthony, he had to wait for fifteen long years to get justice.
EJI stood with Anthony and the case finally went to United States Supreme court were Anthony got a new trial and was found innocent.
On 3rd April 2015, Anthony Ray Hilton was a free man for the first time in three decades.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg visited Anthony!
Just a couple of days back, Mr. and Mrs. Zuckerberg visited Anthony. Mark shared Anthony’s painful story with nearly 86.6 million people by posting it on his Facebook wall. Mark Zuckerberg also apologized to Anthony for the injustice the judicial system caused to him.
It has been almost two years from the day Anthony was released and there has not been a single statement of apology from the Alabama high court. Even Anthony does not expect one and is happy that he is a free man now. We all should get inspired from him and stop crying for petty things in life.