9780813070483

9780813080130

9780813069722

"An insider's account of a wrongful conviction and the fight to overturn it during the civil rights era This book is an insider's account of the case of Freddie Lee Pitts and Wilbert Lee, two Black men who were wrongfully charged and convicted of the murder of two white gas station attendants in Port St. Joe, Florida, in 1963, and sentenced to death. Phillip Hubbart, a defense lawyer for Pitts and Lee for more than 10 years, examines the crime, the trial, and the appeals with both a keen legal perspective and an awareness of the endemic racism that pervaded the case and obstructed justice. Hubbart discusses how the case against Pitts and Lee was based entirely on confessions obtained from the defendants and an alleged "eye witness" through prolonged, violent interrogations and how local authorities repeatedly rejected later evidence pointing to the real killer, a white man well-known to the Port St. Joe police. The book follows the case's tortuous route through the Florida courts to the defendants' eventual exoneration in 1975 by the Florida governor and cabinet. From Death Row to Freedom is a thorough chronicle of deep prejudice in the courts and brutality at the hands of police during the civil rights era of the 1960s. Hubbart argues that the Pitts-Lee case is a piece of American history that must be remembered, along with other similar incidents, in order for the country to make any progress toward racial reconciliation today. Publication of this work made possible by a Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities"-- Provided by publisher.

"This book is an insider's account of the case of Freddie Lee Pitts and Wilbert Lee, two Black men who were wrongfully charged and convicted of murder and sentenced to death during the civil rights era of the 1960s"-- Provided by publisher.

Part I. The Murder Convictions (1963-1964)

Introduction: The End of the Ordeal

Curtis Adams and the Port St. Joe/Ft. Lauderdale Murders

The Port St. Joe Interrogations

The Panama City Interrogations

The Army CID Investigation

A Court Hearing

Pitts and Lee Confess

The Initial Trial Court Proceedings

The Death Sentence

The Appeal

Part II. The Newly Discovered Evidence (1965-1971)

Pitts and Lee Find a New Lawyer: The State's Case Begins to Unravel

The Broward County Sheriff's Office Investigates: Curtis Adams Confesses

The Struggle to Re-Open the Case

The Dueling Newspapers in Miami and Panama City

The Defense Preparation

The Port St. Joe Hearing Begins

The Port St. Joe Hearing Continues

The Defense Rests

The Port St. Joe Hearing Concludes

The Ruling and the Appeal

Part III. The New Trial and Aftermath (1971-1975)

The Pre-Trial Proceedings: Phase I

The Pre-Trial Proceedings: Phase II

The Selection of the Jury: Phase I

The Selection of the Jury: Phase II

The State's Case

The Defense Case

The Final Arguments

The Trial Concludes

The Appeal

Freedom.

Lee, Wilbert > Trials, litigation, etc.

Pitts, Freddie Lee > Trials, litigation, etc.

Criminal justice, Administration of > Florida.

Capital punishment > Florida > Case studies.

False imprisonment > Florida > Case studies.

Trials (Murder) > Florida.

Judicial error > Florida > Case studies.