CLARENCE BRANDLEY
On August 23, 1980, in Conroe, a town within the Houston
metropolitan area, Clarence Brandley, the high school janitor, led police to
the body of a sixteen year old female student.
Clarence Brandley was arrested six days later and was charged with
capital murder. Another white janitor, Henry M. Peace stated that, while
an officer was interviewing him and Brandley, the officer stated, “One of you
two is going to hang for this. Since you’re the nigger, you're
elected," as he pointed at Brandley.
Brandley's attorneys decided against a venue change when the judge said they would only be given the choice to move the trial to the victim's county of residence. This action confirmed the known racial bias of this town. In the past, racial atrocities had occurred with no consequences. For example, in 1923 a black man accused of raping a white woman was burned at the stake on the courthouse lawn. Likewise, after a black defendant appealed his conviction on a rape charge, he was executed in the courtroom by the alleged victim's husband. The husband was acquitted two weeks later. More recently, in the mid-seventies, a black teenager was shot repeatedly and killed in police custody. The white officer claimed self-defense and was acquitted. This was the environment Brandley faced after being charged with murder.
The first trial ended in a hung jury. In the second trial, on February 14, 1981, Clarence Brandley was sentenced to death. Several blatant miscarriages of justice and repeated denials for a new trial occurred in this case and were made public in intricate detail in an article by Tom Curtis in the September, 1987, issue of The Texas Monthly. In the article, it was revealed that Jim McCloskey of Centurion Ministries, an advocate organization for the innocent, had joined the team and contributed to a major break in the case.
Several people who testified against Brandley recanted their stories. It was also discovered police had coerced their testimonies. After further investigation showed obvious racism at work, the FBI intervened and Brandley was granted a new trial and found innocent. Disgustingly, Brandley remained on Texas death row for three more years before he was released. A true crime novel was written, White Lies, by Nick Davies. Also, a movie called "Whitewash: The Clarence Brandley Story" was made about this miscarriage of justice.
Brandley's attorneys decided against a venue change when the judge said they would only be given the choice to move the trial to the victim's county of residence. This action confirmed the known racial bias of this town. In the past, racial atrocities had occurred with no consequences. For example, in 1923 a black man accused of raping a white woman was burned at the stake on the courthouse lawn. Likewise, after a black defendant appealed his conviction on a rape charge, he was executed in the courtroom by the alleged victim's husband. The husband was acquitted two weeks later. More recently, in the mid-seventies, a black teenager was shot repeatedly and killed in police custody. The white officer claimed self-defense and was acquitted. This was the environment Brandley faced after being charged with murder.
The first trial ended in a hung jury. In the second trial, on February 14, 1981, Clarence Brandley was sentenced to death. Several blatant miscarriages of justice and repeated denials for a new trial occurred in this case and were made public in intricate detail in an article by Tom Curtis in the September, 1987, issue of The Texas Monthly. In the article, it was revealed that Jim McCloskey of Centurion Ministries, an advocate organization for the innocent, had joined the team and contributed to a major break in the case.
Several people who testified against Brandley recanted their stories. It was also discovered police had coerced their testimonies. After further investigation showed obvious racism at work, the FBI intervened and Brandley was granted a new trial and found innocent. Disgustingly, Brandley remained on Texas death row for three more years before he was released. A true crime novel was written, White Lies, by Nick Davies. Also, a movie called "Whitewash: The Clarence Brandley Story" was made about this miscarriage of justice.
The 2002 movie made about Clarence Brandley's experience of injustice directed by Tony Bill based on the novel, White Lies: Rape, Murder, and Justice Texas Style by Nick Davies, teleplay by Abby Mann.
The true crime novel of Clarence Brandley's experience in the justice system in Texas, written by Nick Davies.
Clarence Brandley receives a loving hug from his mother after being released from Texas Death Row in Huntsville, TX.