The Sun Does Shine

Ray talks to his mom about Bryan, explaining that the lawyer is going to come see her. Ray’s mom wants him to come home now, and he grows upset—she hasn’t come to see him in a long time because the seven-hour drive is too difficult. Ray knows his mother is sick, but no one tells him anything specific about her condition because they don’t want to worry him, and Ray can’t face this reality knowing that he can’t do anything for his mom.

After Bryan starts the case summary, he returns to Holman on a regular basis. He and Ray become friends, talking about things like football and family. Ray observes that Bryan’s work really wears on him—he carries a big burden. During Bryan’s visits, he talks about justice and mercy, explaining that he believes no one is beyond redemption or undeserving of life. Ray is grateful for Bryan’s drive, compassion, and friendship.

The case summary that Bryan prepares is almost 200 pages long, and Ray is glad that Bryan wants him to review it—he feels like he has a voice in his own defense. In a letter, Bryan explains that the supervisor and two other workers at Manpower can back up Ray’s alibi. Bryan is also talking to Ray’s mom and others who can verify that Ray was at church that night before going to work. They expect a hearing between August and October of that year—1999.

Bryan finds two ballistics experts from Texas and another from the FBI—three unimpeachable white men who say that none of the bullets from any of the three robberies match Ray’s mom’s gun. They also find that the state’s paperwork around the ballistics evidence is very spotty. On the phone, Bryan says that they can likely prove that the only evidence against Ray is false. Ray starts to choke up, saying how grateful he is. Bryan promises to get Ray home.

Three years later, in February 2002, Bryan sends another letter to Ray explaining that the chief deputy district attorney in Jefferson County knows that there is a problem with Ray’s case, and Bryan is hoping that they will concede that Ray is innocent because of the mistaken ballistics evidence. Judge Garrett schedules the hearing for March 11–13, 2002. Bryan is optimistic that things are going well for the case and tells Ray to keep his head up.

Bryan also sends his memo for the hearing to Ray, in which he presents the evidence of bias in the trial: for example, the police gave Ray’s name to Smotherman before showing Smotherman a lineup that had Ray’s initials on his picture. Bryan also tells Ray that Perhacs and McGregor were friends, and that McGregor has a history of racial bias. Ray can feel his anger bubbling again, knowing that the state of Alabama has now stolen 16 years of his life, but instead he chooses to pray and try to forgive. He has to believe that God is on the side of justice. Sometimes at night, Ray dreams that his time on death row isn’t real, and one day he will wake up in July 1985 at 29 years old, and his mom will comfort him.