TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Aug 4, 2022

The Beck Cultural Center in Knoxville is calling on Gov. Bill Lee to exonerate Maurice F. Mays — a Black man the center says was wrongfully executed in 1922. Mays was accused of killing a 27-year-old white woman during a home invasion in 1919. He was identified by the victim’s brother in a quick police lineup, convicted of the crime one month later, and executed in 1922 at the age of 35. The Beck Center is working with a legal team to ask the governor for a formal exoneration. Beck Center President Renee Kesler would like to acknowledge Mays “and his death in a proper way.” The Beck Center will open a permanent exhibit devoted to Mays at the end of the month. Read more from Knoxville’s WBIR.