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. The accused has had his conviction overturned for the sixth time, the woman who put him at the scene of the murders has backflipped on her story and another man has been forced to deny it was him all along. They fell out and broke. And Hemphill had a history of committing crimes in Winona and Memphis. And Hemphill had actually lived for a time in Winona. Willie James Hemphill in Georgia Fulton County arrested for U/S VGCSA POSS* BLOG; CATEGORIES. If the state Supreme Court were to order a seventh trial for Flowers, the district attorney would face a difficult task, Saums said. Maybe theyll cover that in their next season. 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. When the podcasts reporter Parker Yesko confronted Hemphill about whether he committed the murders, he denied it, and the show included audio of the hideous, misogynistic things he said in response. Share to Pinterest. Both his father, Archie, and his sonbelieve he will be free one day. Maybe Doyle did the deed and reported his gun stolen to throw everyone off the scent. At the time of his first known arrest, in 1990, he was an 18-year-old high school dropout bouncing back and forth between his mother's house in Memphis, Tennessee, and Winona, where his grandmother lived. with Reverend Shane Russell officiating, assisted by Max Bennett. "It just kind of jumped out," Ali said. It takes no imagination at all to imagine Marcus Presley committing a crime like thatwe have the video from the pawn shop. They didnt question him about other suspects or bring up Flowers name. "Yes, sir," Snow replied. 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. We know that Willie James Hemphill had been residing in Gaffney, Cherokee County, South Carolina 29341. The crime had a random and senseless quality to it. 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. Current Address: EHZR Hannah Dr, Rock Hill, SC. 20181228 Willie James Hemphill Criminal Civil Records Item Preview remove-circle Share or Embed This Item. The best result we found for your search is William Thomas Hemphill age 80+ in Highlands, NC. 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. 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. Hemphill's ex-girlfriend Monkra Moore told In the Dark that she and Hemphill lived together on the east side of Winona in 1996 and that he was at home around 7 a.m. on the morning of the murders when she was leaving for work. When we finally found Hemphill, living in Indianapolis, he had some very surprising things to say about the case. Hemphill's Timeline Willie James Hemphill has an extensive criminal record starting in 1990, just when Hemphill was eighteen-years old. … A bunch of lies., Asked about Hallmons recantation, District Attorney Doug Evans, who has prosecuted Flowers in all six trials, said, Thats why the judge instructs the jury that a jailhouse informant is not very reliable, because they can change their statements very easily, for any reason. It wasn't until Flowers' sixth trial that jurors heard anything about the Alabama suspects. Case Details Parties Documents Dockets . Username. Their names are Michael Lee Boies , Crystal Davis , and six others. 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. He told the Commonwealth, I think these (APM Reports) folks are just coming up with anything they can to discredit the case. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008); The Social Network (2010) 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. Following their Alabama crime spree, Presley and Gamble fled north to Boston, where Gamble had relatives. 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. Injustice flourishes in the darkness, and the sun is now blazing in the heavens (at least for Curtis Flowers). His mother lived there, and he had gone to school there on and off. And Gamble wore Fila sneakers the same brand of shoe that left a bloody footprint at the Tardy Furniture scene. 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. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window). Hemphill certainly sounds like a career criminal who is fully capable of committing violence; but he doesnt come off as a psychopathic killerand whoever did the deed at the Tardy furniture store was either a hired killer (or killers) or enjoyed killing people for kicks. I just didnt know how to say it. Hemphill said investigator took his shoes for a few minutes as well as his fingerprints. A Hearing. 0 Rate Willie. Name. And the gun that Armstrong says he discovered is additionally important . Marcus Presley, then 16, points a gun at pawn shop owner John Burleson shortly before killing him on July 25, 1996, in a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama. Hemphills name came up briefly in Flowers 2010 trial. 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. 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. The suspects include the gunman in an Alabama crime spree that summer that bore several similarities to the Winona killings and a violent career criminal who at the time of the murders was living with a girlfriend across from the furniture store. Mr. Willie James Hemphill, of 1119-101 Kevin Lane, died Thursday, November 9, 2017. "I was out of the whole jurisdiction in another state.". After a multistate manhunt, Presley and Gamble were arrested in Norfolk, Virginia. Its almost impossible to not hate him and to believe he is guilty. Marcus Presley and Lasamuel Gamble werent raised at all. 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. Their pattern was to spend a week or so lying low before going on another rampage. Shooting a handgun with accuracy is more difficult than people think, said private investigator Charlie Saums of Ridgeland. 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. . 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. He has been behind bars ever since. Finding the truly guilty person (or people) strengthens the case that Flowers is innocent. Nor was there any record of the evidence gathered from Hemphill. Check resumes and CV, arrest records, places of employment, social media profiles, photos and videos, public records, skilled experts, publications and memorials . Jessie Mae Hemphill [1]1923-2006 Blues musician, singer, songwriter, guitarist, percussionist Blues musician and vocalist Jessie Mae Hemphill [2] was a paradox. The bodies of Derrick Stewart, 16, Robert Golden, 42, Carmen Rigby, 45, and Bertha Tardy, 59, were found spread throughout the store and in the back office. Willie James Hemphill Birth 27 May 1919 Death 14 Jul 2000 (aged 81) Burial. According to the July 8, 1996, police report, store owner Bertha Tardy reported to police that a burglar or burglars smashed through a skylight, tried to break into the safe and stole the side door key. 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. According to the ledger, about$287 was missing from the cash drawer the morning of the murders. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. Obituaries Section. He was born on December 6, 1948 in Weir, Mississippi the son of Eddie Allen and Garner Lee Edwards Hemphill. The suspicion that the crimes could be connected was a matter of public record at the time. Presley was the tougher of the two, and he didn't say much. This score is (-15%) Above the National Average View Actual Score View Reputation Details . "You're confusing me. Could those responsible for Tardy Furniture murders have escaped a different way? He told the podcast he had an airtight alibi. 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. Can Marcus Presleys affidavit be trusted? 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. Law enforcement clearly saw Hemphill as a prime suspect. An investigative team from American Public Media has uncovered evidence that law enforcement had at least two other suspects in the 1996 quadruple homicide in Winona that put Curtis Flowers on death row information that was not shared with his defense attorneys. Detective Goldberg got Presley and Gamble to confess their roles in a pair of murders at a Birmingham pawn shop less than two weeks after the Tardy Furniture murders. "I think we pretty much ruled him out from the get-go," Matthews testified. He said that while in jail he talked to Evans about the Flowers case, and he saw a chance to gain his freedom. On July 14, his mother, Lola, died of surgery complications. Username. Email Address: w XMLS @yahoo.com +1 email. EPISODE 16. In the months before the Tardy Furniture murders, Presley hit a grocery store, a fireworks retailer, three gas stations and three liquor stores. Not the right Willie? We developed information that Doyle was missing from work that morning for about 30 or 40 minutes, which was about the time of the murders, he said. Mark Weingarten is an American production sound mixer.He has been nominated for three Academy Awards in the category Best Sound Mixing, winning in 2017 for Dunkirk.He has worked on more than 120 films since 1987. Sure, onceIn the Dark is over the heat will diminish slightly. Eight days before these murders, a side door key was stolen. Prosecutors have always said that Curtis Flowers was the only serious suspect in the Tardy Furniture investigation. Investigators said the Simpson brothers were eliminated quickly because they were both at work at the time of the murders. FUNERAL HOMES. In the sixth, he was again convicted and sentenced to death, and his latest appeal was ongoing when the podcast started. 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. If Flowers did what he is accused of doing, he deserves his punishment, Armstrong said. View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. The second best result is William E Hemphill Sr . Hemphill said investigators tape recorded the interrogation and took notes, none of which was in the file given to Flowers defense attorneys. He died on December 28, 1908, at his home in the section of Abbeville called Fort Pickens, and is buried in Melrose Cemetary, Abbeville. "Yeah we was leaving. Because Mr. Evans didnt tell them about the Alabama connection. Sign the Guest Book . In fact, he said, police never searched the crawl space beneath the house. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. Sure, he had worked at Tardys in the past. The weapon in at least some of the Alabama cases was a .380 handgun that tended to jam. The fourth and fifth trials ended with hung juries. James Mather at IMDb; This page was last . In The Darks reporting on the case documented the inequities and outright barbarism of Mississippis criminal justice system. The show has won rightful fame for its work helping to save Flowers life. Flowers gave authorities conflicting statements about the times he went to these places. 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. Menu. In The Dark also found out that prosecutions star witness, Odell Hallmon, secretly received special treatment prosecutors dropped charges in seven felony cases against him in exchange for his false testimony that Flowers made a jailhouse confession. However, In the Dark's reporting has uncovered no clear evidence linking him to the Tardy murders. The Dallas Morning News Homepage. Find Willie Hemphill's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading online directory for contact information. Why was he questioned? This narrative turn places In The Dark firmly, disappointingly, and alarmingly in the mainstream of the True Crime genre. It was his legal obligation, but its easy to see why he didnt. 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. He didnt bother anybody.. He said he told investigators he was shopping with a woman in Memphis. They did, however, find bullets, bullet fragments and shell casings at the crime scene. Law enforcement witnesses had testified under oath in Flowers sixth trial that Presley was never a suspect. 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. Though he was a suspect early in the investigation, according to law enforcement records, and questioned extensively, Hemphill was later released after 11 days in jail and ruled out as a suspect for reasons that remain unclear. And he was undeterred, at first, when he was told that Woods hadn't corroborated his story. That day in October 2015, Ali was looking at a photo lineup that law enforcement had used to implicate Flowers in the Tardy case. LAYTON - Willie Morris Hemphill, 69, passed away August 11, 2018 at St. Mark's Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. Photos. Born in 2 Jun 1941 and died in 27 May 2008 Gaffney, South Carolina Willie James Hemphill "I was coming out of Piggly Wiggly and there was a woman, I will never forget her name. ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM. But perhaps the most intriguing new development is the emergence of a man who verbally attacked journalists on the podcast while denying he was in town on the day of the murders. Service: 11 am Saturday, March 3, 201. Includes Address(1) Phone(2) Email(1) See Results. 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. He attended Erskine College, where he earned a A.B. But at Curtis Flowers' trials, the prosecution downplayed any investigation of other suspects. 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. 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. Each victim of the July 16, 1996 murders was murdered execution styleone or two bullets to the back of the head. Submit an Obituary. 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. Twenty-two years on death row. He didn't work on July 4, a holiday, and didn't show up for work on July 5, 6 or 8. The whole time Ive been telling them, I dont remember the day, Fleming said. Nothing in the investigative file for the case explains why officers let him go. You may also light a candle in honor of Willie James . It hurts my feelings.. When reporters talked to Hemphill last year, he said investigators cleared him because he had an alibi he called it "airtight." Share to Facebook. Maybe. What an Alabama crime spree might reveal about the Curtis Flowers investigation. His alibi is weak, according to In The Dark. Matthews never responded. Belfast (2021; co-nominated with Denise Yarde, Simon Chase and Niv Adiri) References External links. This case was filed in U.S. Courts Of Appeals, U.S. Court Of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. They wanted to ask him about his alibi for the day of the Tardy Furniture murders, an alibi that hadn't checked out. "Because once you get people on a roll to admitting to crimes, they just don't stop. 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 was clearly righteous in exonerating a black man condemned by a ludicrously unjust system.
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