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The Case of Gilbert King on the Groveland Four
📻 Episode #403
🎙️ Hosted by Jason Flom
📅 Nov 02, 2023
About This Episode
On July 16, 1949, 17-year-old Norma Padgett and her estranged husband, Willie Padgett, reported to police that they had been attacked by four black men in Lake County, FL, with Norma claiming that the men had raped her. On the same day, police arrested 16-year-old Charles Greenlee, and 22-year-olds Samuel Shepherd and Walter Irvin. 26-year-old…
The Case
On July 16, 1949, 17-year-old Norma Padgett and her estranged husband, Willie Padgett, reported to police that they had been attacked by four black men in Lake County, FL, with Norma claiming that the men had raped her. On the same day, police arrested 16-year-old Charles Greenlee, and 22-year-olds Samuel Shepherd and Walter Irvin. 26-year-old Ernest Thomas was hunted into the woods and gunned down by a mob of men, as he was also blamed for the attack. Despite weak evidence and testimonies tainted by racism, the remaining three were convicted and faced severe sentences, including life imprisonment and death.
Jason is joined by Gilbert King, host of Bone Valley and Pulitzer-prize-winning author of Devil in the Grove which chronicles the story of the Groveland Four, as they came to be known, and future United States Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall’s efforts to defend them in court.
We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.
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In Their Own Words — transcript excerpts
Short excerpts from the episode's official published transcript, with timestamps — listen from these moments, or read the full transcript via the podcast's own platforms.
00:05:05“Speaker 1: Thomas was at home with his family in a black Speaker 1: part of town Stucky Still, and then Sam and Walter Speaker 1: had gone out drinking in nearby Orlando before returning to Groveland. Now, Speaker 1: what's the real story with the alleged victims. Speaker 2: What had happened was a young couple by the name”
00:20:00“Speaker 2: The Supreme Court had already ruled that this was an Speaker 2: illegitimate way to select a jury. Marshall he also knew Speaker 2: that there was so much pre trial publicity assuming that Speaker 2: they were guilty and calling for executions, that there should Speaker 2: have been a change of venue. So that's what they”
00:34:26“Speaker 1: face of Norma Paget, who was still alive and voiced Speaker 1: her opposition. So what happened with the case after it Speaker 2: The Attorney General of Florida put the Florida Department of Speaker 2: Law Enforcement in charge of the investigation, and two agents Speaker 2: came up to me in New York. I gave them”
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Also on the podcast: #20 The San Antonio Four · #70 Susan King · #216 James King