(Video above: A clip from 60 Minutes’ feature on Ray Hinton)
In 1988, personal computers had only found their way into about 15 percent of U.S. households; the Motorola DynaTAC 8500XL cellular phone cost $4,382 (adjusted for inflation) and could only stay charged for one hour of talk time; and the latest music player — the Sony Discman — was playing Top 40 hits like George Michael’s “Faith,” Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Chold o’ Mine” and Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror.”
That is the world 30-year-old Ray Hinton left behind when he was convicted that year of murdering two restaurant managers in Birmingham, Alabama.
For the next 28 years he spent most of his days in an 8ft. by 5ft. prison cell on Death Row, often in solitary confinement. His mom passed away. His children grew into adults. He lost his marriage. His hair turned grey. (h/t The Guardian)
And then, in 2015, the Equal Justice Initiative helped uncover new evidence that exonerated Mr. Hinton and compelled a Jefferson County Circuit judge to overturn his conviction and drop all of the charges.
He was suddenly thrust into a world of ubiquitous social media, non-stop connectivity and Spotify blaring Justin Bieber through a dizzying array of mobile devices. His attorney helped him learn to use an ATM.
“Will I ever catch up with the world, I don’t know,” Mr. Hinton says now. “But I’m gon’ try.”
60 Minutes did a feature on Mr. Hinton earlier this year, and while the tragedy of what happened to him tugs at the heart strings, it is his response to the question of whether he is angry that may stick out the most.
“No,” he said. “What joy I have, I cannot afford to give that to them. So being angry would be letting them win. I am a person who loves to laugh; I love to see other people smile. And how can I smile when I’m full of hate? So for the 30 years they got from me — I count today, I count every day as a joy.”
Mr. Hinton now speaks to groups about justice and his faith, which he said was unshaken by his time on Death Row.
“I just never, never believed God would allow me to die for something I didn’t do,” he said. “I didn’t know how He was going to work it out, but I believed that He would work it out.”
Mr. Hinton is seeking compensation from the State of Alabama for the years the unjust conviction took from him.
It is too early to tell whether that will happen — the state of Alabama has only paid one exoneree after 41 claims.
But after seeing him in an Auburn University shirt on the 60 Minutes special, popular Auburn blog “The War Eagle Reader” has an idea:
“What do you say, Auburn Athletic Department — free tickets for life?”
