Mr. McMillian was released from death row as a free man in March 1993. Walter McMillian was among the first exonerees from death row in the modern era. A 60 Minutes segment and other national press coverage about his case led to other exonerations.

Why was Walter McMillian's trial moved?

Because the case generated extraordinary publicity in Monroe County, where the white population was 60 percent, the trial was moved to Baldwin County, where whites made up 86 percent of the population. The trial began on August 15, 1988 and lasted only a day and a half.

Who was the real killer in just mercy?

Just Mercy: Sentenced to death for a murder he didn't commit - the true story behind gripping drama. In August 1988, a black man named Walter McMillian, known as Johnny D, was sentenced to death for the murder of a white teenage girl in Monroeville, Alabama. His trial lasted less than two days.