George Stinney Jr. was a young Black boy whose story became one of the most heartbreaking cases of injustice in American history.
George was born on October 21, 1929, in Alcolu, a small mill town in South Carolina, USA.
He lived with his parents and siblings in a poor but hardworking family.
His father worked at a sawmill, and his mother cared for the home.
George Stinney: Quiet, Respectful, and Helpful Boy
People described George as quiet, respectful, and helpful.
Like other children, he attended school, played with friends, and helped his family.
At that time, the United States, especially the southern states, had strict racial segregation.
Black and white people lived separately, attended different schools, and faced unequal legal treatment.
Black families often had fewer rights and little protection.
1944: Two White Girls Vanish Hunting Flowers on Bikes
On March 23, 1944, two white girls Betty June Binnicker, 11, and Mary Emma Thames, 7 went out on their bicycles to look for flowers but never returned home.
The next day, their bodies were found in a ditch.
The shocked and angry community prompted police to quickly search for someone to blame.
George and his sister had spoken briefly with the girls earlier that day when the girls asked about flowers.
Because of this small encounter, George became the main suspect.
Police arrested George, who was only 14 years old.
Police took him from his family and questioned him alone for hours.
He had no lawyer and no parent with him. Later, police said he confessed to the crime.
But George never gave a written or recorded confession, and many believe officers pressured or frightened him into saying what they wanted.
George Stinney’s Trial: Just One Month After Arrest
George’s trial took place just one month later, on April 24, 1944. The trial was extremely unfair.
The jury was made up of 12 white men, since Black citizens were not allowed to serve on juries.
His court-appointed lawyer did very little to defend him.
No physical evidence connected George to the crime, and prosecutors skipped key witnesses.
The entire trial lasted only a few hours.
After discussing for about 10 minutes, the jury found George guilty of murder and sentenced him to death.
At just 14 years old, George became the youngest person executed in the United States in the 20th century.
June 1944: Tiny George Stinney Electrocuted on Books
Witnesses said he was terrified. His family could not be there because they had fled town after receiving threats.
For many years, people believed that others wrongly accused George.
There was no solid evidence, no fair trial, and no proper defense.
His case became a symbol of racial injustice.
In 2014, seventy years after his execution, a judge reviewed the case again.
New testimony showed how unfair the trial had been.
The judge threw out George’s conviction and called it a “great miscarriage of justice.”
Officials cleared George Stinney Jr. of the crime long after his death.
