"Yes," admitted Little.
Griffin pushed harder. Why had she not screamed? Why no attempt to fight back? Why, when Alligood was removing his trousers, had she not attempted to escape his clutches then? Little's answers were inconclusive but not incriminating. Nothing she said was inconsistent with her version of events in the cell.
One of the jurors, when the verdict was in, commented, "I thought about it … and I decided that these people [the prosecution] hadn't shown me anything to convict her," a sentiment echoed by fellow jurors. After less than 90 minutes of reflection, they found Little not guilty.
Following acquittal, Little was returned to prison to finish her seven-year robbery sentence. On October 15, 1977, she again escaped, but was recaptured and finished out her term. She resurfaced briefly in 1989 when she spent a night in jail on stolen property charges which were later dropped.
There was something in this case for everyone: civil rights activists, church groups, feminists. All made capital from what was a unique situation.
—Colin Evans
Suggestions for Further Reading
Harwell, Fred. A True Deliverance. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1979. Jet (March 20, 1989): 37.
Reston, James, Jr. The Innocence of Joan Little. New York: Bantam, 1977.
User Comments Add a comment…
11 months ago
It is funny how they did not mention that there were punctures in his pants. That just goes to show that he removed them with intent to abuse her, and that he was killed after he removed them. I applaud her. Many people nowadays try to forget racism, and slavery. However, this case was 32 years ago... and it was within many of our lifetimes. Do not forget, or else we will not be able to recognize it if/when it happens again.