Author Wrongfully Convicted of Murder to Speak at Truman

 
Anthony Ray Hinton, who spent nearly 30 years on death row for a crime he did not commit, will speak at 6 p.m. March 26 in Baldwin Hall Auditorium.
 
Hinton was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1985 in Alabama. With the assistance of the Equal Justice Initiative, led by attorney Bryan Stevenson, he won his release in 2015. Since his conviction was overturned by the United States Supreme Court, Hinton has become a sought-after speaker and author of “The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row,” which was selected for Oprah’s Book Club and is a New York Times bestseller.
 
“‘The Sun Does Shine’ is Hinton’s story from the perspective of someone who faced an unimaginable ordeal being sentenced to die for a crime he didn’t commit. Yet through it all, his message of hope, faith and justice is resounding,” said Elizabeth Wiles, director of interdisciplinary studies and chair of legal studies and pre-law programming at Truman. “It is a powerful memoir, and this event is sure to be a transformative experience for anyone from any background.”
 
Hinton may be familiar to audiences from his inclusion in Stevenson’s book “Just Mercy,” later adapted into a movie of the same name. At the time “Just Mercy” was originally published, Hinton had yet to be exonerated. “The Sun Does Shine” gives readers the firsthand account of his redemptive journey.
 
Presented as part of Truman’s Holman Family Distinguished Speaker Series, Hinton’s presentation is free and open to the public.