Clarence Earl Gideon, was a homeless, accused of felony theft by the state of Florida. His case is considered to be a true milestone in the U.S. Supreme Court record, since, as a result of this case, the judges ruled, for the first time, that any criminal defendant, who could not afford a lawyer, had to be granted one at no cost.
The events developed as follows:
Arrest - On June 3rd, 1961, some coins and a few bottles of beer were stolen at a pool bar. Henry Cook, a person who lived in the neighborhood, told the police that he had seen Gideon walk out of the bar with a bottle of wine and coins in his pockets. Gideon was arrested later that same day.
First trial - As he was too poor to afford a lawyer, Gideon was forced to defend himself, after Judge McCrary Jr. denied him the possibility of having a lawyer. Gideon was convicted of breaking and entering and sentenced to five years in prison.
Gideon v. Wainwright - While in prison, Gideon studied the American legal system. and he concluded that Judge McCrary Jr. violated the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution. He wrote to the Florida Supreme Court, but he was denied help. In January 1962, he wrote a petition to the Supreme Court of the United States, asking the nine judges to take his complaint into consideration. His appeal was accepted and, on March 18, 1963, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled (9-0) in Gideon's favor.
Second trial - As a result of the Gideon decision, about 2.000 convicted people were freed in Florida. Gideon, instead, had to endure another trial. W. Fred Turner was his lawyer. During the trial, Mr. Turner picked apart the testimony of the eyewitness Henry Cook. He suggested the idea that Mr. Cook might have been the lookout for a group o people who had stolen beers and coins from the pool room. Turner also collected the testimony of the cab driver who took Gideon from the pool room to a bar in Panama City, Florida. He said the Gideon was not carrying neither wine, or beer. The jury acquitted Gideon after one hour of deliberation.
