Biography
Jesse Lee Walston was one of three Black men sentenced to death in Tarboro, North Carolina, in January 1974 after a rape prosecution involving a white woman. The Black Panther reported on February 2 that the men had been added to death row and that Black communities, the NAACP and the Black Panther Party were campaigning against the convictions and the state's use of the death penalty. Walston, who was not a North Carolina resident, had returned to surrender to police when he learned he was wanted. His brother Leroy Walston publicly challenged the verdict. The two other defendants were not named in the reviewed article. The original arrest and prison admission dates, later outcome and physical release remain unresolved.
Jesse Lee Walston was one of three Black men sentenced to death in Tarboro, North Carolina, in January 1974 after a rape prosecution involving a white woman. The Black Panther reported on February 2 that the men had been added to death row and that Black communities, the NAACP and the Black Panther Party were campaigning against the convictions and the state's use of the death penalty. Walston, who was not a North Carolina resident, had returned to surrender to police when he learned he was wanted. His brother Leroy Walston publicly challenged the verdict. The two other defendants were not named in the reviewed article. The original arrest and prison admission dates, later outcome and physical release remain unresolved.
Original contemporary source 1 ; Original contemporary source 2.
