Boy executed in 1944 may get second trial
A 14-year-old African-American boy executed for killing two white girls in 1944 may get a retrial, the Associated Press reported.
Supporters of George Stinney, who was convicted of beating an 11-year-old and 7-year-old to death, are asking a South Carolina judge to grant a new trial. A lawsuit was filed in Clarendon County last month on Stinney’s behalf.
The judge may refuse to even hear the case, since the boy is already dead. There are also strict rules about introducing new evidence after a trial has concluded. The evidence must have been impossible to get at before the trial and must be likely to change the results.
New evidence includes sworn statements from Stinney’s siblings who said he was with them for the entire day of the murder.
Columbia man dies during Savannah marathon
A 35-year-old Columbia man died during a Savannah marathon Saturday, The State reported.
Jake Zeman collapsed as he neared the finish line. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Georgia authorities would not immediately release Zeman’s body to his family, Richland County coroner Gary Watts said Sunday.
The autopsy will not happen until Tuesday at the earliest because Georgia does not conduct autopsies on Sundays or holidays. Today is Veterans Day, a state holiday.
Richland County conducts autopsies every day of the year, including Christmas. The holdup was with the office of the Georgia Chief Medical Examiner with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Watts said. Coroners work for the state in Georgia and are governed by the state medical examiner’s office, unlike South Carolina.
SLED asks for $475,000 for child fatality unit
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is asking state lawmakers for more than $475,000 for its child fatality unit, The State reported.
The money would go toward hiring four new officers for the legislatively required squad that has a backlog of 466 open cases. About 195 new cases of suspicious child deaths come in each year, and the department is required to investigate each one.
Eight of the unit’s 10 positions are currently filled, and those specialized officers conduct special types of investigations atypical of common police work.
State Rep. Mike Pitts, R-Laurens, and a spokesman for Gov. Nikki Haley expressed support for this effort. Pitts, who oversees the subcommittee determining SLED’s budget, said there may not be enough money to give to the department.