A Hearing. "Yeah we was leaving. Three of the four were each killed with a single head shot. According to the ledger, about$287 was missing from the cash drawer the morning of the murders. "If he's guilty, he's guilty.". View More. The two of them walked the same school halls from first grade through high school, he said. The judge denied Flowers' request to attend his mother funeral here on July 21. Willie married Janeen Winegar on August 10, 2003 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The podcasts reporters spent months methodically proving that prosecutors systematically denied black people a seat in the jury box, and how a man who is likely innocent has been repeatedly sentenced to death. We know that Willie James Hemphill had been residing in Gaffney, Cherokee County, South Carolina 29341. Case Details. Eight days later, Tardy and three others working for the store were killed execution-style. While talking to them, he said he told them about his discovery. An early suspect in the murders, Willie James Hemphill, who has a long criminal history, lived less than a mile from where Armstrong found this gun in 2011. "After a short time, we realized that he didn't know anything about the case.". I was nowhere around., Reporter: The one thing that makes sense to me is that maybe if you had been on Front Street (where the murders took place) and you had seen something , Hemphill: Im done talking to you, youre trying to put me on Front Street., Reporter: Did you commit the murders that day?, Hemphill: Did you? Information APM Reports obtained from the Montgomery County Sheriffs Department through a public records request shows Hemphill was held for 11 days in jail. Their reporters know better than anyone that Hemphill wouldnt get a fair trial. APM Reports recently interviewed a man named Willie James Hemphill, who said he was a suspect early in the investigation. During nearly 30 years of crimes, he's shown a quick temper, and a penchant for daytime robberies and violence against women. And, unlike Curtis, Doyle had more than a passing acquaintance with organized crime (a mobster once left him for dead in a field outside of New Orleans). Marcus Presley, the gunman in the Alabama crime spree, was staring up at Ali from among the six photos in the lineup. 4). In that 1963 ruling, the court said: "The suppression by the prosecution of evidence favorable to an accused violates due process where the evidence is material either to guilt or to punishment.". She said the shoes had belonged to her son, who no longer lived there. Explosive end to case thats rocked America. He explained his suspicion that the gun might have something to do with the Tardy murders. Episode 10 of the In the Dark Podcast was largely dedicated to the strange case of Willie James Hemphill, a local bad boy with a violent streak who was continually getting cross-ways with the law. But he never cut ties with Winona, where his grandmother remained and where he committed a slew of small-time thefts in the years before and after the Tardy Furniture murders, according to public records. Prosecutors have always said that Curtis Flowers was the only serious suspect in the Tardy Furniture investigation. But In The Dark was apparently unsatisfied with exonerating the innocent: It needed the narrative closure of guilt, and found its key to that in Hemphill. <a . 614 records for Willie Hemphill. What an Alabama crime spree might reveal about the Curtis Flowers investigation. Username. Record that.. Resides in Greenwood, MS. He said that side door leads to a ditch that would have provided a better escape route than simply walking back through town as authorities claimed Flowers had. Even so, they had to wade through a stack of rat-eaten files stored in an abandoned factory to realize he had been booked into jail. He has been behind bars ever since. Search for Roberto Thorpe Living on Prison Blvd in Sparta, GA. Get started for free to find contact info for nearly any adult in the U.S. In 1996, four people were killed execution-style inside Tardy Furniture, which faces one of the busiest streets in the small town of Winona. Share to Facebook. Presley murdered four people and wounded three others in a spree of robberies and murders that year. Name. In The Darks reporting on the case documented the inequities and outright barbarism of Mississippis criminal justice system. 2) and Curtis Flowers (No. She lived in Winston, Mississippi, United States in 1930 and Beat 2, Winston, Mississippi, United States in 1940. What are we supposed to think? They also discovered an unfired .380 bullet, which might suggest the gun jammed. Right now, Willie Hemphill lives in Rock Hill, SC. The whole time Ive been telling them, I dont remember the day, Fleming said. James Mather at IMDb; This page was last . The crime had a random and senseless quality to it. You said that was an airtight alibi we talked to Twanda and she said she wasnt with you that day., Hemphill: They released me based on that. William is related to Alicia Kristen Hemphill . Prior to his death, Doyle came across as a passive man working hard to stay out of trouble. View More. "Because once you get people on a roll to admitting to crimes, they just don't stop. In the months before the Tardy Furniture murders, Presley hit a grocery store, a fireworks retailer, three gas stations and three liquor stores. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark. While Presley drove the action, Gamble kept his gun trained on the scene in case anyone tried to flee. Courtroom testimonyshows that Presley was the shooter in the pawn shop murders in Birmingham even though, prior to being shown video of the crime, he insisted that Gamble had been the gunman. The Tardy murders took place during a 24-day gap when the group carried out no robberies in Alabama. While that case was delayed for more than two years, Hallmon murdered three people, including his ex-girlfriend, Marquita Hill, and her mother. Editor's note: This endorsement editorial was updated on . On July 2, the podcast, which has been downloaded more than 24 million times in its second season, laid out a lengthy argument that a different man, Willie James Hemphill, committed the 1996 murders. The officer who was with Small when they pulled over Armstrong for speeding told APM Reports that Armstrong had indeed given them a handgun, which was turned over to the district attorneys office. He said: "If it wasn't for the fact that I had an airtight alibi, I could be the one on death row right now. He said he told investigators he was shopping with a woman in Memphis. It was Geraldine. This case was filed in U.S. Courts Of Appeals, U.S. Court Of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. The U.S. Supreme Court decided 7-to-1 that prosecutors unconstitutionally eliminated black jurors during the trial proceedings for Timothy Tyrone Foster in 1987. analysis of his record of striking potential black jurors, Curtis Flowers' prosecution witness says testimony was all 'make believe', Recanted testimony, subjective science helps put Curtis Flowers on death row, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. But maybe she didnt see anyone at all. On November 16, 2015, Marcus Presley signed an affidavit claiming that Lasamuel Gamble and Steven McKenzie (the driver of the getaway car) had been in Mississippi the day of the Winona murders and had returned with several hundred dollars in their pockets after claiming to have hit a lick (committed a crime). The second season of the In the Dark podcast is about the case of Curtis Flowers, who was tried six times for the same crime. Whoever killed four innocent people in the Tardy Furniture store on that fateful day in 1996 was familiar with armed violence and kind of liked it. I dont think they learned anything.. Police arrived at the factory and interviewed employee Katherine Snow. Why offer up another suspect? Willie James Hemphill; Willie James Hemphill, Age 44. aka Willie Jr Hemphill. In October 2015, almost 20 years after the murders at Tardy Furniture, one of Curtis Flowers' lawyers was paging through his case file, when she saw a familiar face. He's shown a fearlessness about committing brazen attacks and thefts in daylight with high risks and low payoff, in places close to where he's lived and where people are more likely to recognize him. View Willie Smith results in Kingwood, TX including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. And the gun that Armstrong says he discovered is additionally important . He spent 11 days in jail before authorities released him. I knew Curtis had started to get involved in crack. 1 hr 4 min . Both involved store employees who were shot execution-style, a .380 handgun that might have jammed, and a suspect wearing Fila shoes. And Hemphill had actually lived for a time in Winona. Are you a sl*t? One of them wore Grant Hill Fila sneakers. By licks he meant places to rob.. He told APM Reports that he was arrested and questioned in the . With the discrediting of Hallmon and other witnesses, Saums said, I think the district attorney would find it hard to prosecute Curtis Flowers again, much less convict him.. State investigator Jack Matthews, one of those who had read Hemphill his rights, said hed only talked to Hemphill for a short time before realizing he didnt know anything. It was all make believe. Armstrong said a law enforcement officer told him the gun had been sent to the state Crime Lab, determining this .380 handgun wasnt the murder weapon. Submit an Obituary. It's not like you're going to say, 'Yeah I robbed this 7-11, but I didn't rob that 7-11.'". He told APM Reports that he was arrested and questioned in the early days of the investigation. Willie James Hemphill Addresses Click Here For Willie James Hemphill's Last Known Address 1241 Hatfield Dr, Evansville, IN 47714 1001 Mississippi Ave, Greenwood, MS 38930. Each victim of the July 16, 1996 murders was murdered execution styleone or two bullets to the back of the head. Find records of Willie Hemphill . The case status is Pending - Other Pending. Reporter: Were trying to puzzle through this. So, if Curtis Flowers isnt guilty, who is? You may also light a candle in honor of Willie James . While he was working July 3, he loaded golf cart batteries into the back of a truck. Law enforcement had interviewed a different suspect with a violent criminal history, Willie James Hemphill a fact which was not disclosed to the defense. Hemphill also wasnt held briefly. Find 23 people named Willie Hemphill along with free Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok profiles on PeekYou - true people search. The FBI checked it out. AVERAGE AGE. Illuminating Journalism from American Public Media. But instead of stopping there, its reporters started snitching to the same system whose injustice they had just unmasked. But at Curtis Flowers' trials, the prosecution downplayed any investigation of other suspects. And in the first Flowers trial, in 1997, he testified that "there were numerous suspects" in the early days of the investigation. | BillionGraves We are testing a new layout for the record page. Evans has spoken to the Greenwood Commonwealth, most recently about APM Reports analysis of his record of striking potential black jurors vs. white juries 4 1/2 times more often. She said she had seen somebody at 7:15 a.m. outside Simpsons car at the factory. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. On April 30, 2018, American Public Medias true crime podcast In The Dark began airing its second season, an investigation of the case of Curtis Flowers, a black man in Mississippi accused of a quadruple homicide at a furniture store in 1996. "The best of my recollection, Mississippi was able to determine that our guys weren't the ones, or there was something that didn't make them right for the Mississippi case," said Mike DeHart, the Alabama sheriff's deputy who questioned Gamble. Statistics for all 30 William Hemphill results: 68 yrs. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008); The Social Network (2010) His alibi is weak, according to In The Dark. American Public Media reports that Hemphills ex-girlfriend Monkra Moore said she and Hemphill lived together in 1996 and claimed that he was home in Winona at around 7am on the morning of the murders. In 1996, Mississippi investigators told the local paper they were looking into a possible connection. Episode 10 of the In the DarkPodcast was largely dedicated to the strange case ofWillie James Hemphill, a local bad boy with a violent streak who was continually getting cross-ways with the law. Injustice flourishes in the darkness, and the sun is now blazing in the heavens (at least for Curtis Flowers). If the state Supreme Court were to order a seventh trial for Flowers, the district attorney would face a difficult task, Saums said. The podcast has never cared about the fundamental horrors of the justice system; it just wants to ensure that those horrors only happen to the correct people. Their names are Michael Lee Boies , Crystal Davis , and six others. His full criminal history is too lengthy to reproduce here. UNLOCK PROFILE. Willie James Hemphill in Georgia Fulton County arrested for U/S VGCSA POSS* BLOG; CATEGORIES. Katie Ali had been researching parallels between the Tardy Furniture murders and a string of similar crimes that had happened that same summer in neighboring Alabama. Username. "I haven't heard anything about them," John Johnson, the investigator for the District Attorney's office, had said when questioned about the Alabama suspects at the sixth Flowers trial. It was either a paid hit on a single individual that went bad when other employees entered the room, or the awful deed was done for the hell of it. The second best result is William E Hemphill Sr . Sure, he had worked at Tardys in the past. He told the podcast he had an airtight alibi. He wouldnt have had the (mental) capability, he said. The weapon in at least some of the Alabama cases was a .380 handgun that tended to jam. Willie James Hemphill, age 37, Justice, IL Search Report. Then why havent the defense attorneys who have represented Mr. Robert Reid Hemphill's brother, James Calvin Hemphill, was born in Due West, South Carolina, on May 18, 1850. Although authorities quicklysettled on Flowers as their main suspect, he wasnt arrested until seven months later. View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. If Woods had been at the mall with Hemphill at the time of the murders roughly 10 a.m. she couldn't have been back in Winona any earlier than noon. He attended Erskine College, where he earned a A.B. Search by Name. Menu. Willie James Hemphill has done many terrible things. Share to Reddit. Her rough exterior portrayed a tough, independent woman. Prosecutors said repeatedly at trial that the only suspect seriously investigated was Flowers. For Ali and the other lawyers working on Flowers' appeal at the time, this was a significant revelation. The funeral service will be 1pm Sunday at China Grove A.M.E. Zion Church. Gamble never discharged his weapon. ", If Evans and his prosecution witnesses knowingly or unknowingly withheld evidence from the defense of other suspects in the Winona killings, they could be in violation of the Brady rule, named after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that says a criminal defendant must be given evidence that could point toward his innocence. Willie Hemphill's passing at the age of 97 has been publicly announced by Arnold Family Funeral Services Inc. - Hillside Chapel in Altadena, CA.Legacy invites you to offer condolences and share memori During nearly 30 years of crimes, Willie James Hemphill has shown a quick temper, and a penchant for daytime robberies and violence against women. 1.58 3.33 /5. District Attorney Doug Evans insisted he'd given the defense access to all records of the investigation. A wealthy lawyer who killed his wife and son at close range has been sentenced in one of the most troubling cases the judge said he had seen. The first of these events took place last month when the US Supreme Court tossed out Flowers conviction. They wanted to ask him about his alibi for the day of the Tardy Furniture murders, an alibi that hadn't checked out. … Ive had many trials where no black jurors were struck., But the Mississippi Supreme Court overturned Flowers conviction in his third trial, ruling Evans had intentionally struck African Americans from the jury. The Dallas Morning News Homepage. After nearly 23 years locked up, Curtis Flowers has a chance to get out on bail if his lawyers can convince the judge to rule in his favor. Like LaSamuel Gamble, Hemphill wore Fila shoes and had a criminal record. He freely admitted that he had been a suspect and even says that, although innocent, he would have made a more convincing suspect than Curtis. Green is a reporter in Toronto. But his demeanor when approached by In the Dark investigative reporters was consistent with innocence. As the investigators interviewed for theWrong Man episodes on Flowers point out, the family members of the victims should have been considered suspects until evidence suggested otherwise. Memphis is two hours north of Winona, just across the border with Tennessee. Willie Dixon - The Big Three Trio 1947-1952 (Roots N' Blues C 46216) FLAC . The only other such form in the file was signed by Flowers. The July 16, 1996, killings of Tardy Furniture owner Bertha Tardy, 59, and three employees, Carmen Rigby, 45, Robert Golden, 42, and Derrick Stewart, 16, have haunted this town ever since. Before he disappeared into a men's bathroom, he once again dodged the question of where he was on the day of the murders and insulted two female reporters with vulgarities. When we finally found Hemphill, living in Indianapolis, he had some very surprising things to say about the case. And maybe his girlfriend, Katherine Snow, told the authorities that she saw Curtis leaning up against Doyle Simpsons car because thats what investigators wanted to hear. January 5, 1960 - August 13, 2009. Hemphill was held in jail for 11 days, according to county records, though it's not clear why he was held. Willie James Hemphill has done many terrible things. Share Obituary. That might not be so if the whole world wasnt watching, but it is. That said, I dont see a compelling motive, and none of these people is any more capable of pulling off an outrage on this scale than poor Curtis Flowers. Flowers, the individuals I reference as the Birmingham boys. Obituaries Section. He told us the truth … The statement that he gave in court I made sure was the truth before we used it.. Not long after Armstrong found the gun in October 2001, two police officers happened to pull him over for speeding. They said they didnt have a case against me.. We went to boot camp together., The officers denial dont make me mad, he said. Willie Hemphill. He didnt mark it or put it in an evidence bag, he told the Clarion Ledger. A witness whose statement put a man on death row for 22 years has performed a remarkable backflip, turning a case on its head. Gamble told me that they saw a few licks while they were in Mississippi. For starters, a key prosecution witness who testified she saw Flowers sprinting from the front of the store at the time of the murders, has been discredited, he said. 20181228 Willie James Hemphill Criminal Civil Records Item Preview remove-circle Share or Embed This Item. At the time, investigators in Mississippi told the media they were looking into whether the crimes could be connected to the murders at Tardy Furniture. "They wanted to put all these robberies onto Marcus and LaSamuel.". Burial will follow in Hemphill Star Cemetery, Boyce. "He would have just told me everything and anything at that point," Goldberg said. Willie James Hemphill was confronted in an Indianapolis courthouse last week, 23 years after police deemed him an initial suspect but later pursued leads against Flowers. In The Dark proved that Curtis Flowers was railroaded by an unjust system. "I think we pretty much ruled him out from the get-go," Matthews testified. Flowers was convicted and sentenced to death in the first three trials, but each time, the verdict was overturned on appeal for prosecutorial misconduct in the first and second trials, and for racially discriminatory jury selection in the third. How do we create a person's profile? After finding the weapon, Armstrong wondered how the gun had wound up under the house his mother was renting on Knox Street, only 700 feet or so from the furniture store. But if Curtis Flowers doesnt get relief in the face of these well-publicized facts there will be hell to pay. Hired by Starz to examine the case, Saums said the crime"suggests somebody who has done it before. Curtis Flowers was raised in a loving home by a gospel-singing father and a mother known for her culinary and entrepreneurial abilities. He allegedly committed robberies to fund a drug habit. Eight days before these murders, a side door key was stolen. Updated: June 22, 2016 . So, maybe Curtis didnt steal the gun after all. They found out later that Flowers uncle, Doyle Simpson, said his .380 automatic had been stolen from the glove box of his car parked at the Angelica Garment Factory where he worked. Saums pointed out that Simpson who has since died lied to police about how he had gotten the gun. 5 Visits. Hemphill was born on September 10, 1971. It was June 21 just an hour before the U.S. Supreme Court would overturn Curtis Flowers' conviction and reporters for In the Dark had intercepted Hemphill at a courthouse in Indianapolis. (Page 3) Simpson's brother Emmett was an early suspect, too a fact Matthews had himself testified to in the second Flowers trial. More importantly, Woods said she was certain that she didn't make the trip with Hemphill that day. "I can't recall seeing him that day," Woods said. At first, Willie James Hemphill was calm. Simplistic journalism ethics call for reporters to follow the facts wherever they might lead. And in searching for Hemphill, she came upon a cousin with the same name who recalled three carloads of deputies showing up at his mobile home in 1996 looking for the other Hemphill. Montgomery County Sheriff Bill Thornburg searched Moores home and found a size 10.5 Fila Grant Hill shoebox in a dresser at her house. And there he was. Armstrong questions whether Flowers could have carried out the killings of four people execution-style. And why didnt DA Doug Evans even consider the Presley-Gamble connection? Their size was a.380. However, In the Dark's reporting has uncovered no clear evidence linking him to the Tardy murders. In the Dark has previously reported that Hemphill was an initial suspect in the days after the July 1996 murders in Winona, Mississippi. Baran found Hemphills booking card showing he had been arrested and jailed a few days after the killing. You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family. Again, he denied ever being there. Evidence that prosecution witnesses may have given false testimony could potentially get Flowers' conviction overturned, said Bennett Gershman, a former prosecutor who now teaches law at Pace University. Law enforcement witnesses had testified under oath in Flowers sixth trial that Presley was never a suspect. View the profiles of professionals named "Willie Hemphill" on LinkedIn. He allegedly stabbed a woman with a screwdriver, among other violent crimes. Records show he was questioned Hemphill said he was interrogated for hours and held for 11 days before being released. When Armstrong first saw the gun in 2001, he thought back five years to the quadruple murder at Tardy Furniture, remembering that authorities had never found a murder weapon. There are 60+ professionals named "Willie Hemphill", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. Flowers, who had been fired from the store 13 days before the murders, reportedly owed a small amount of money to one of the owners. Selected filmography. In the Flowers case, Evans and investigators asserted that Flowers was the main suspect from the beginning, including up to his sixthand, so far, final trial. Even before finding the gun, Armstrong had doubts about whether Flowers played a role in the quadruple murder. The answer was yes many, many times. Sign the Guest Book . 0 Reputation Score Range. Last month, the Supreme Court overturned Flowers latest conviction, citing In The Darks reporting. But there was no mention of the Alabama crimes and suspects in the investigative files the prosecution had turned over to Flowers' defense attorneys. Jessie Mae Hemphill; Jimmie Gordon; Jimmy "Duck" Holmes; Jimmy Burns; Jimmy Dawkins; Jimmy Holmes; Jimmy Johnson; . Hemphill had previously told police and the podcast that he was not in Winona on the morning of the murders. Willie James Hemphill, Willie J Hemphill, Williae Hemphill. He took the gun and placed it into a nearby shed. The fourth and fifth trials ended with hung juries. Both men bounced from one traumatic living arrangement to another with no respite. And if the two had spent just an hour at the mall assuming the mall, which is now closed, opened as early as 9 a.m. they'd have needed to leave Winona no later than 7 o'clock that morning. On 03/12/2020 Willie Hemphill filed a Prisoner - Other Prisoner lawsuit against Warden. Shortly after the killings, police arrested Hemphill, then 24, who was wearing a pair of the Grant Hill Fila shoes. In The Dark was clearly righteous in exonerating a black man condemned by a ludicrously unjust system. Search by Name. Back in 1996, there had even been speculation in the media that the crimes could be connected, and investigators had told the local paper they were looking into it. Hemphills name came up briefly in Flowers 2010 trial. Only now, a new name has surfaced. That was a lie, Hallmon told APM Reports in an interview on a contraband cellphone from his prison cell. As I argue in the course of the program, Simpson seemed to be bending over backwards to let the world know that a gun had been stolen from his car in the parking lot of the garment factory where he worked. But both denied having committed the Tardy murders and said they'd never even been to Mississippi. (1909). Reporter: Mr Hemphill. After a multistate manhunt, Presley and Gamble were arrested in Norfolk, Virginia. Saums said it makes sense the killers would have left through the side door, rather than go out the front door onto busy Front Street, the small towns main drag. Her sister says she was in the house with her and not where she said she was.. Hemphill: A lot of people dont like to talk to the press and the police., Reporter: She was actually pretty talkative., Hemphill: Maybe she dont recall the day in question., Reporter: She actually has a really clear memory of that day., Hemphill: I dont know what she told you. Now the spotlight is on three other deaths that are linked to the case. Lived In Sidon MS, Indianapolis IN, Prince George VA, Clarksville TN. John Johnson, the DAs investigator, told the jury, I think they talked to him for five minutes. And that omission, a law professor and former prosecutor told the team, could mean a seventh new trial for Flowers, condemined to death for the murders of four people at Tardy Furniture Store. 1. He lived near Tardy Furniture at the time of the murders, and near where a gun that might have been the murder weapon was found. We have lots of information about Willie: religious views are listed as Christian . It hurts my feelings.. It was his legal obligation, but its easy to see why he didnt. She had at least 2 sons and 1 daughter with James Tobias Whitehead. Flowers gave authorities conflicting statements about the times he went to these places. Soon that would change. Hallmon has since admitted he lied. . The presence of Presley in the lineup raised some questions about the testimony of law enforcement witnesses who'd said under oath that Presley was never a suspect in the Tardy case. Saums believes whoever carried out the crime had inside information. The presence of live ammunition on the floor suggested that one of the killers was using a 380 pistol that jammed repeatedly. Prosecutors have always said that Curtis Flowers was the only serious suspect in the Tardy Furniture investigation. In the Dark,episode 10, makes it clear that the prosecution committed what is called a Brady violation by failing to inform defense counsel that Hemphill had been a suspect early in the investigation.
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