|
Pitts and Lee v. Florida (1963) (often referred to as the "Pitts-Lee case") was a criminal case in which two African-American defendants were charged with murder. The case is remembered for its Civil Rights implications, and because it involved two death-row inmates who were later exonerated. The prosecutors deliberately tampered with evidence, and the men were sentenced to death by an all-white jury, Freddie Lee Pitts and Wilbert Lee (the defendants) were imprisoned for twelve years before being pardoned by then-Florida Governor Reubin Askew on September 20, 1975. == Background == The crime occurred on August 1, 1963 in Port St. Joe, Florida. On the night of the crime, Freddie Pitts (age 28), Wilbert Lee (20), and several other people went to a Mo-Jo gas station in the small town. Pitts and Lee went to use the restroom, but the restrooms in the facility were only for whites. This caused Pitts and Lee to get into an argument with the attendants, two white men named Grover Floyd Jr. and Jesse Burkett.〔 Floyd and Burkett were found dead three days later. They had been shot to death. After being coerced by the police into making an accusation,〔 a woman who was with Pitts and Lee accused Pitts and another man of the crime. This other suspect was a soldier who worked for the military, and they provided an alibi for him. The woman then changed her accusation, accusing Pitts and Lee of the crime.〔 Pitts and Lee confessed to the crime after the police beat them and threatened to harm Lee's wife, among other examples of cruel treatment. Their lawyer, who had been appointed by the Court, advised them to plead guilty.〔 The two men did not have a trial, as they had confessed to the crime and pled guilty. They were sentenced to death by an all-white jury on August 28, 1963.〔〔 In 1966, a man named Curtis Adams confessed to the murders of Floyd and Burkett. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pitts and Lee v. Florida」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|