Guilty until Proven Innocent

William Jerome Manning has been sitting on death row for the last twenty years after being convicted of committing a double homicide. Although a guilty verdict sealed his fate in court, the suspicions surrounding the conducting of his trial and legal proceedings are becoming unavoidable. Frustrations with Manning’s legal representation have garnered attention to a possible new motive for Manning’s arrest and conviction. As a Black man in Mississippi, it can only be speculated that the poor handling Manning’s case is a result of his minority status in America. Statistically, Black Americans are incarcerated at nearly five times the rate of White Americans. Racial disparities in penitentiaries commonly a result from the inadequate representation given to defendants of minority groups, and William Jerome Manning may be one of them. Written by Hilldana Tibebu and produced by Alex White.