India, Aug. 18 -- The case of George Stinney Jr. remains one of the most disturbing episodes in the history of the US death penalty. Stinney was only 14 when he was convicted of murdering two young girls in South Carolina in 1944 and sentenced to death. He was executed by electric chair just weeks after his conviction. Seven decades later, a judge reopened the case and vacated his conviction, ruling that Stinney had not received a fair trial.

Who Was George Stinney Jr.?

George Stinney Jr. was a 14-year-old Black boy from Alcolu, South Carolina. In March 1944, he was accused of killing Betty June Binnicker, 11, and Mary Emma Thames, 7. Stinney was arrested and subsequently convicted in a case that moved extraordinarily quickly. His trial...