21/02/2026
ππ14 YEARS OLD... SENTENCED TO DIE
In 1944, in the small town of Alcolu in South Carolina, a 14-year-old Black boy named George Stinney Jr. became the youngest person executed in the United States in the 20th century.
George lived with his parents and siblings near the railroad tracks that separated the Black and white parts of town.
On March 23, 1944, two white girls β Betty
June Binnicker (11) and Mary Emma Thames (8)
β were riding bicycles and passed the area where George and his sister were standing.
They asked George and his sister where they could find flowers.
That was the last time the girls were seen alive.
Later that day, their bodies were discovered in a ditch. They had been killed with a heavy object, believed to be a railroad spike.
Very quickly, suspicion turned to George.
Police arrested him the same day. His parents were not allowed to be with him during questioning. Officers claimed the boy confessed, but there was no written confession and no recording.
Soon after the arrest, George's family received threats from white residents. They were forced to leave their home for safety. George was left alone in jail, about 50 miles away from his town.
When the trial began, it moved extremely fast.
George had a court-appointed lawyer named Charles Plowden. The lawyer called no witnesses, did little cross-examination, and presented almost no defense.
The entire trial lasted about two hours.
The jury was all white.
After only about ten minutes of discussion, they returned with a verdict:
Guilty.
The judge sentenced the 14-year-old boy to death in the electric chair.
George stayed in jail for weeks waiting for ex*****on. He was alone, scared, and far from his family.
On June 16, 1944, George was taken to the ex*****on chamber.
The electric chair was built for adults. George weighed only about 95 pounds and was around five feet tall.
Officials placed a Bible or booster under him so the straps could hold him in place.
The face mask did not