The Three Death Sentences of Clarence Hendersonis the story of Clarence Henderson, a wrongfully accused Black sharecropper who was sentenced to die three different times for a murder he didnt commit and the prosecution desperate to pin the crime on him despite scant evidence. His first trial lasted only a day and featured a lackluster public defense. The book also tells the story of Homer Chase, a former World War II paratrooper and New England radical who was sent to the Southbythe Communist Party to recruit African Americans to the cause while offering them a chance at increased freedom. And its the story of Thurgood Marshalls NAACP and their battle against not only entrenched racism but a Communist Party-despite facing nearly as much prejudice as those they were trying to help-intent on winning the hearts and minds of Black voters. The bitter battle between the two groups played out as the sides sparred over who would take the lead on Hendersons defense, a period in which he spent years in prison away from a daughter he had never seen.
P> Review Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigative reporter Joyner debuts with a searing look at an unsolved murder case . . . Joyner provides just the right level of detail in this stranger-than-fiction narrative, in which endemic racism almost resulted in the execution of an innocent man. Publishers Weekly, *starred* reviewUsing a range of archival sources, Joyner illustrates Hendersons vulnerable position as a Black defendant, and shows how external factorssuch as the introduction of lie-detection and ballistics analysis and the rivalry between the N.A.A.C.P. and the Communist Party, which were both determined to come to his defenseshaped the legal proceedings in unexpected ways. The New YorkerA compelling account of justice in the Jim Crow South. Recommended for readers interested in true crime and race. Library JournalThree times Henderson went to trial for Stevens murder, three times he was convicted, and sentenced to die in the electric chair, and three times his convictions were overturned. Meanwhile, many believe that Buddy Stevens real murderer remained free. Its an intriguing cold case story that might have remained under the radar if not for Joyners deeply researched book. Atlanta Journal ConstitutionDrawing on his two-plus decades of experience in journalism, Joyner plumbs newspaper archives, court records and personal interviews to tell the story not just of Hendersona Black sharecropper in rural Georgia who in the late 1940s and early 50s was convicted and sentenced to death three times for a murder he didnt commitbut of race in the US after World War II. CNN Book Description The story of Clarence Henderson, a Black sharecropper convicted and sentenced to death three times for a murder he didnt commit About the Author: Chris Joyneris an investigative reporter with theAtlanta Journal-Constitutionwith more than two decades of experience in journalism, ranging from community newspapers to national and international news and wire services. He reported from the scene of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010. As an investigative reporter, he focuses on uncovering hidden communities and has written about street gangs and life inside a supermax prison, the hidden world of government lobbying and a white-collar criminal network built around a drug testing lab. He lives in Atlanta.- We ship across Australia, including major cities like: Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Newcastle and the Gold Coast