U.S. Supreme Court Overturns Curtis Flowers' Conviction
ST. PAUL, Minn., June 21, 2019 – On March 20, the U.S.Supreme Court heard arguments on CurtisFlowers v. State of Mississippi. In looking at the controversialMississippi death penalty case, the justices examined if DistrictAttorney Doug Evans used racialdiscrimination in the jury selection for Flowers’ most recent trial. The court announced today it has ruled infavor of Flowers and has reversed his conviction.
The case presented to the court included reportingfrom APM Reports, which uncovered a pattern of racist jury selection byEvans. APM Reports brought the case to national attention with the secondseason of the award-winning podcast In the Dark.
Flowers has been triedsix times for the same crime, and this is the fourth time his convictionhas been reversed. Now, he faces the possibility of Evans trying him for aseventh time, offering a plea deal or dismissing the charges all together. Flowers,who has been incarcerated in ParchmanPrison for over 22 years, will remain in prison until Evans makes adecision on his next steps in the case.
If Evans pursues a seventh trial against Flowers, Flowers’legal team will have a chance to use newevidence found by APM Reports in the second season of In the Dark.
In the Dark willcontinue to cover the developments of this case with two upcoming episodes.
Listeners can stay up-to-date on breaking news in the Flowers case and when new In the Dark episodes publish by subscribing to the In the Dark email newsletter.
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About APM Reports
APMReports, formed in November 2015, is a collection of investigative journalistsand documentary producers, editors, data reporters, researchers and digital producersdedicated to producing high-quality reporting on issues that are often hiddenfrom public view. At the heart of every APM Reports investigation lies acritical question — about powerful institutions and people, injustice andaccountability – that deserves an unflinching commitment to finding answers inthe public’s best interest. Visit apmreports.org for more.
About American Public Media
American Public Media® is the national programming divisionof MinnesotaPublic Radio® and reaches more than 19 million listeners via 1,000 radiostations nationwide each week. APM is one of the largest producers anddistributors of public radio programming in the world, with a portfolio thatincludes BBC World Service, Marketplace®, and the leading classical musicprograms in the nation. APM offers a diverse array of podcasts featuring thebest in food, culture, entertainment, business and investigative journalism.For more information on APM, visit americanpublicmedia.org.
Source: Data are copyrightNielsen Audio. Data are estimates only.