Texas Exonerates Man Executed 70 Years Ago

Texas has formally cleared a Black man executed in 1956 for crimes he did not commit. Dallas County prosecutors posthumously exonerated Tommy Lee Walker this week. Walker was convicted of raping and murdering a White woman in 1953. His conviction relied heavily on a confession that officials now say was coerced. An all-White jury sentenced him to death after a two-day trial. Walker was executed in the electric chair at age 27. He maintained his innocence. The exoneration follows a review of the case. It found no physical evidence linking Walker to the crime and confirmed the confession was forced. This is one of the oldest wrongful execution cases ever overturned in the United States.