A Lesson Before Dying Essay

The cases of Pervis Payne, Walter McMillian, and Jefferson from the novel ‘A Lesson Before Dying" are prime examples of the corrupt justice that is so deeply rooted in the judicial system. All three of these men were held in unfair court trials in which all odds were stacked against them. Each of these cases has its own unique story, but ultimately, they all expose the unjust violations of human and civil rights in court systems.

Pervis Payne was a Tennessee man who, on June 27, 1987, on a Saturday, was unfairly accused of the attempted rape of his girlfriend’s neighbor, Charisse Christopher, and the murder of Charisse and her two-year-old daughter, Lacie Jo. Due to the fact that there was no clear motive or reason for Payne to commit such

Charisse was stabbed 42 times, and her two children suffered stab wounds as well. The implicating evidence against Payne was that his fingerprints were found on cans of malt liquor, and Charisse’s blood was soaked into his clothes and all over his body to the point where it was described as if he appeared to be sweating blood. Many witnesses, friends, and neighbors testified at the trial; even expert witnesses were seen testifying at the trial. Chief Justice Renhquist called the evidence against Payne overwhelming and charged him with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. Since 1987, Payne has been on death row, with his death date repeatedly

From 1990 to 1993, the state of Alabama turned down four appeals until, following his own trial and sentencing, Ralph Myers, the repeat offender that Walter was indicted with, confessed that the testimony he gave against Walter was false and that he in fact knew nothing about the crime. Because of this, Stevenson created a petition for a new and fair trial, but despite this, the appeal was still turned down. In February 1993, all judges within the court agreed that Walter was held in an unfair trial, and even further evidence proving his evidence was discovered. On February 23, in his fifth appeal, he was granted a new trial. Stevenson then filed a motion to dismiss all charges, and on March 2, the judge voted on the motion dismissing all charges against Walter. Walter returned to his hometown of Monroeville, Alabama, and filed a civil lawsuit against the corrupt state officials that worked against him. Unfortunately, the United States Supreme Court ruled against Walter, and he settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. Walter later developed dementia, which was believed to be the result of the trauma of imprisonment. He died in