The case status is Pending - Other Pending. Not long after Armstrong found the gun in October 2001, two police officers happened to pull him over for speeding. 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. In addition, one jailhouse snitch has recanted, he said. LOW HIGH. Doug Evans, the district attorney who prosecuted Flowers in all six trials, has declined to be interviewedby APM Reports and has not returned calls from the Clarion Ledger. For Flowers, the new information including Flemings changed story adds weight to his case for a full acquittal. By the time Presley and Gamble were arrested, Doug Evans wasnt interested in alternative scenarios; he knew Curtis was the killer. 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. I just didnt know how to say it. The investigative file contained no indication of what Hemphill said or why he was eliminated as a suspect. "It just kind of jumped out," Ali said. 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. 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. After months of looking for Twanda Woods, In the Dark reporters located her a few months ago at her trailer in Winona, half a mile south of Tardy Furniture. This narrative turn places In The Dark firmly, disappointingly, and alarmingly in the mainstream of the True Crime genre. Hired by Starz to examine the case, Saums said the crime"suggests somebody who has done it before. The Tardy Furniture murders were committed at a store on Front Street in Winona, Mississippi, at about 10 a.m., and around the time that one of the store's employees, Carmen Rigby, was returning with a bank bag. I knew his sisters, I knew his brother, he said. The crime itself was extraordinary, but the case drew In The Darks attention because a local prosecutor had tried Flowers six times for the murders. In 1880 James, now 16, has an additional. Quantico National Cemetery. It remains unclear why Mississippi investigators ruled them out as suspects. If it hadnt been for a single slip of paper in the prosecutors file with Willie James Hemphills name on it, theIn the Dark squad wouldnt have known about the man. Hemphill was held in jail for 11 days, according to county records, though it's not clear why he was held. Gamble never discharged his weapon. View the profiles of professionals named "Willie Hemphill" on LinkedIn. Why was he questioned? "Yes, sir," Snow replied. He never responded. 23 Matches for Willie Hemphill . The murder weapon in the Tardy Furniture case was a .380, and an unfired round was found at the scene; investigators believe that might indicate that the gun had jammed. When Flowers went back on trial, Armstrong heard no mention of the gun by either prosecutors or defense attorneys. It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of Willie James Hemphill (Rock Hill, South Carolina), who passed away on November 9, 2017, leaving to mourn family and friends. 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. Saums believes whoever carried out the crime had inside information. So, maybe Curtis didnt steal the gun after all. APM lead investigative reporter Madeleine Baran found one page among the documents Evans did give the defense attorneys, a form someone named Willie James Hemphill, then 24, of Memphis had signed at the Winona Police Department five days after the murders waiving his rights to an attorney. Maybe theyll cover that in their next season. APM Reports, the investigative and documentary reporting team based in St. Paul, Minnesota, spent a year digging into the Flowers case for its In the Dark podcast. Investigators John Johnson and Jack Matthews denied on the stand knowing anything about them. 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. If youve listened toIn the Darkor watchedWrong Manon the Starz channel, you either came away convinced that Curtis Flowers didnt kill four people in cold blood back in 1996 or you werent paying attention. 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. "They wanted to put all these robberies onto Marcus and LaSamuel.". Also known as Willie L Hemphill, Hemphill Wilie. In The Dark proved that Curtis Flowers was railroaded by an unjust system. The whole time Ive been telling them, I dont remember the day, Fleming said. "I think we pretty much ruled him out from the get-go," Matthews testified. So where was Hemphill during the day? Both men bounced from one traumatic living arrangement to another with no respite. He died on July 14, 2000 at age 81. Two weeks later, a picture of Marcus Presley, the shooter in the Birmingham murders, was included in a photo array shown to Porky Collins, a witness in the Winona, Mississippi case. He quoted Bertha Tardy as saying he would have to be responsible for paying for the batteries. His misdeeds, while abhorrent, are also likely inseparable from his decades-long history of poverty and addiction. By his own account, someone told investigators that they'd seen him on Front Street that morning, though Hemphill has said repeatedly that he wasn't there. Select this result to view William Thomas Hemphill's phone number, address, and more. Flowers has remained imprisoned the entire time, for more than 20 years. Following their Alabama crime spree, Presley and Gamble fled north to Boston, where Gamble had relatives. A surveillance camera revealed that the killer was wielding a 380 pistol that jammed repeatedly. It's not like you're going to say, 'Yeah I robbed this 7-11, but I didn't rob that 7-11.'". Free this man. … 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. Despite raising earthshaking doubts about the justice system, the show ultimately conforms to the systems logic that crime, denuded of context, must be solved and punished. 2. Prosecutors said repeatedly at trial that the only suspect seriously investigated was Flowers. Not the right Willie? They did, however, find bullets, bullet fragments and shell casings at the crime scene. 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. 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. Hemphill, Willie Mae Willie Mae Hemphill, Born March 8, 1926. US States (36975K) Current Events (51K) Celebrity (272) Exonerated (117) Favorites (421) FBI Most Wanted (848) Gangsters (49) Historical (131) Interpol (1.7K) . But Curtis Flowers is somehow still not cleared of the gruesome quadruple murder on July 16, 1996. 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. He said he knew nothing about the burglary. The show has won rightful fame for its work helping to save Flowers life. That was a lie, Hallmon told APM Reports in an interview on a contraband cellphone from his prison cell. 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. Hemphill said investigators tape recorded the interrogation and took notes, none of which was in the file given to Flowers defense attorneys. Phone Number: (704) 751-NZMM +2 phones. 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. His full criminal history is too lengthy to reproduce here. But we found a document showing that another man, Willie James Hemphill, had also been questioned just days after the murders. Reporter: Were trying to puzzle through this. But that doesnt make Doyle a cold killer. It was a .380-caliber automatic handgun, coated in dirt and rust. Jessie Mae Hemphill [1]1923-2006 Blues musician, singer, songwriter, guitarist, percussionist Blues musician and vocalist Jessie Mae Hemphill [2] was a paradox. 0 Reputation Score Range. But after several hours of interviews conducted over two days, Hemphill finally disclosed his alibi: He said he was at a mall in Memphis at the time of the murders, with a Winona woman named Twanda Woods. Twenty-two years on death row. View Actual Score Check Background . Because Mr. Evans didnt tell them about the Alabama connection. Born in 2 Jun 1941 and died in 27 May 2008 Gaffney, South Carolina Willie James Hemphill 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. 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. The podcasts decision to try to figure out who may have actually committed the murders at the Tardy Furniture store in Winona, Mississippi isnt surprising. Quantico . 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. Montgomery County Sheriff Bill Thornburg searched Moores home and found a size 10.5 Fila Grant Hill shoebox in a dresser at her house. The killer or killers could have used the key to enter the side door, perhaps hiding before the store opened. Only now, a new name has surfaced. Law enforcement witnesses had testified under oath in Flowers sixth trial that Presley was never a suspect. 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. And the investigative file not shared with the defense showed investigators had considered Marcus Presley, the gunman in the murders and a string of similar crimes that same summer in neighboring Alabama. The crime had a random and senseless quality to it. Then why havent the defense attorneys who have represented Mr. But Flowers deserves to have a fair trial and prosecution, he said. Gamble told me that they saw a few licks while they were in Mississippi. Past Addresses: Shelby NC, Shelby NC +7 more. Record for Willie James Hemphill 27 May 1919 - 14 July 2000 in Quantico National Cemetery, Triangle, Prince William, Virginia, United States from BillionGraves GPS Headstones. Find records of Willie Hemphill . But there was no mention of the Alabama crimes and suspects in the investigative files the prosecution had turned over to Flowers' defense attorneys. If, hypothetically, theIn the Dark team was charged with defending Curtis in a seventh trial even an all-white jury selected entirely of Winona residents couldnt find him guilty. As far as him telling me he killed some people, hell, naw, he aint ever told me that. 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. Appendix III: List of Soldiers by Name Updated February 22, 2005 War of 1812 Discharge Certificates Appendix I: List of Units and Subunits Appendix II: List of Company/Detachment Commanders Appendix III: List of Soldiers by Name Appendix IV: List of Soldiers by Unit Appendix III: List of Soldiers by Name [table striped="true" responsive="true"]NameYearRegimentCompanyAbbey, Edward17951st . A photo array that contains Marcus Presley (No. 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 only other such form in the file was signed by Flowers. They contained no mention of the Alabama suspects. Robert Reid Hemphill's brother, James Calvin Hemphill, was born in Due West, South Carolina, on May 18, 1850. But how could a single person (especially a man like Curtis Flowers) dispatch four victims with a bullet to the back of the head? Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. That same day, Horace Wayne Miller, a lieutenant with the Mississippi Highway patrol, asked Norfolk officials to keep him apprised of their investigation. The district's Republicans should nominate James Hemphill as their candidate for Congress in the May 3 primary. Law enforcement clearly saw Hemphill as a prime suspect. Are you a wh*re?, Reporter: Did you commit the murders on Front Street? He told APM Reports that he was arrested and questioned in the . View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. He told the podcast he had an airtight alibi. Initially, Hemphill refused to provide further details of his whereabouts on July 16, 1996. Shooting a handgun with accuracy is more difficult than people think, said private investigator Charlie Saums of Ridgeland. It might mean letting someone get away with an abominable crime. Again, he denied ever being there. But it isnt necessary to prove a case against any of these people; the real scandal is that the existence of alternative suspects was systematically withheld from defense counsel. NEWSPAPERS. Willie James Hemphill Phone Numbers (662) ***-4391 . "If he's guilty, he's guilty.". He told them that a day or two after the murders he was driving back to Winona from Memphis when his stepfather called him and told him carloads of law enforcement officers had descending on his parents house looking for him. It took the In the Dark team a full year to track Hemphill down in an Indianapolis courtroom (he's still getting into trouble). Marcus Presley sometimes accompanied by LaSamuel Gamble had committed a string of robberies in 1996 in and around Birmingham, with the same modus operandi. There is little doubt that Hemphill has done terrible things. Before he left on July 3, he said she gave him $30. When we finally found Hemphill, living in Indianapolis, he had some very surprising things to say about the case. Winona, Mississippi lies three hours west of Birmingham on Highway 82. Flowers, the individuals I reference as the Birmingham boys. Find an Obituary. View Tommy Hemphill results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. My mom, my stepdad were afraid that, hey, if they're manhunting me like that, they may shoot me down in the street, Hemphill told them. Willie James Hemphill is confronted by reporters at an Indianapolis courthouse in June 2019. When we finally found Hemphill, living in Indianapolis, he had some very surprising things to say about the case. The show revealed that the district attorneys office bullied and threatened people into lying on the witness stand. Each victim of the July 16, 1996 murders was murdered execution styleone or two bullets to the back of the head. 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. Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results Willie James Hemphill (1952 - 2006) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days. Share to Tumblr. ROCK HILL - Willie Abraham Williams, 69, of 1138 Hickory Lane, Rock Hill, S.C., was called home Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008, at Hospice & Community Care.He was born Sept. 7 . Service: 11 am Saturday, March 3, 201. In 1996, four people were killed execution-style inside Tardy Furniture, which faces one of the busiest streets in the small town of Winona. Other facts may help explain why Hemphill initially was a suspect: The shoes he told In the Dark that he was wearing when he was questioned by investigators on July 21, 1996 Fila Grant Hill high-tops are the same type of sneaker that had left bloody footprints at the scene of the murders five days earlier. He has been behind bars ever since. The host, Madeleine Baran, carefully noted that only some of evidence seemed to point in Hemphills direction, even though a flimsy case was enough to almost execute the man her show just found innocent. 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. Actually,In the Dark hasnt weighed in on the guilt-innocence issue (thats not what they do), but their careful dissection of DA Doug Evans case against Flowers has left the case in a shambles. After a multistate manhunt, Presley and Gamble were arrested in Norfolk, Virginia. Find Willie Hemphill's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading online directory for contact information. He also tried to shoot his own 12-year-old son who was hiding in a closet, though the boy survived. Miller would not comment. We have lots of information about Willie: religious views are listed as Christian . She had at least 2 sons and 1 daughter with James Tobias Whitehead. APM lead investigative reporter Madeleine Baran found one page among the documents Evans did give the defense attorneys, a form someone named Willie James Hemphill, then 24, of Memphis had signed . Eight days before these murders, a side door key was stolen. How do we create a person's profile? Wrong Manpresented us with a small group of criminal justice professionals who started out believing that Curtis was probably the killer. "I don't understand how she said that.". When he showed up the Montgomery County Sheriffs Department two days later, he said, they immediately cuffed him and that the investigators made it clear he was a suspect. Mississippi Highway Patrol Lt. Wayne Miller, the investigator who created the lineup, testified that the only suspect pictured in the lineup was Flowers. He wouldnt have had the (mental) capability, he said. Following his release from prison in 2013,Hallmon tried to run over a Carroll County sheriff's deputy while escaping a drug bust. She said she had seen somebody at 7:15 a.m. outside Simpsons car at the factory. 5 Visits. "[I]t's almost like a hair trigger that would cause a reversal if you've got false testimony that is significant.". Contact Jerry Mitchell at 601-961-7064 or jmitchell@gannett.com. It hurts my feelings.. He thought back to when Small took the gun. Police received a call about the murders at 10:21 a.m. While that case was delayed for more than two years, Hallmon murdered three people, including his ex-girlfriend, Marquita Hill, and her mother. 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. 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. Current Address: EHZR Hannah Dr, Rock Hill, SC. Sure, onceIn the Dark is over the heat will diminish slightly. The best result we found for your search is William Thomas Hemphill age 80+ in Highlands, NC. Willie James Hemphill has done many terrible things. She said that investigators have never questioned her about Hemphill's story. Hemphill's Timeline Willie James Hemphill has an extensive criminal record starting in 1990, just when Hemphill was eighteen-years old. Where were you?, Hemphill: I was in your p***y. Evidence of false testimony by prosecution witnesses could potentially get Flowers' conviction overturned, Bennett Gershman, a former prosecutor who now teaches law at Pace University, told the APM reporting team. Shortly after the killings, police arrested Hemphill, then 24, who was wearing a pair of the Grant Hill Fila shoes. The ugly facts of Hemphills past werent ugly enough for the podcast In The Dark emphasized its clear disdain of him. If you recall our last conversation, I wasnt in the city., Reporter: You said you were in Memphis with Twanda Woods. In the sixth, he was again convicted and sentenced to death, and his latest appeal was ongoing when the podcast started. Their size was a.380. . The suspicion that the crimes could be connected was a matter of public record at the time. Burial will follow in Hemphill Star Cemetery, Boyce. The first of these events took place last month when the US Supreme Court tossed out Flowers conviction. Afraid that he would be shot on sight if he didnt surrender, Hemphill turned himself in at the local police station (wearing Grant Hill Filas, the shoes investigators had linked to a bloody footprint at the crime scene) and was immediately handcuffed and booked into the local lock-up. Willie James Hemphill didn't come up until the sixth Flowers trial, and law enforcement officers said he was eliminated as a suspect in about five minutes. I know he didnt do it, Archie Flowers said. Willie James Hemphill was detained for 11 days following the Hardy Furniture murders and wore the same brand of shoes as the bloody footprints found at the scene. A .380-caliber is hard to control. 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. 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. Obituaries Section. Hemphill said investigator took his shoes for a few minutes as well as his fingerprints. (1870), A.M. (1872), and LL.D. Could those responsible for Tardy Furniture murders have escaped a different way? According to court records, he was "swinging a machete and causing a. Why was he questioned? The weapon in at least some of the Alabama cases was a .380 handgun that tended to jam. A woman who admitted having sex with a 13-year-old boy and becoming pregnant with his baby has avoided jail time. They wanted to ask him about his alibi for the day of the Tardy Furniture murders, an alibi that hadn't checked out. 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. But instead of stopping there, its reporters started snitching to the same system whose injustice they had just unmasked. Willie James Hemphill was born on May 27, 1919. He told APM Reports that he was arrested and questioned in the early days of the investigation.