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Bryan Stevenson
The author and first-person narrator of Just Mercy. Stevenson’s childhood in a rural area of Delaware marked by poverty and segregation inspires him to address racial and economic inequality. A relentless advocate for his legal clients, Stevenson’s humanity and dedication to the pursuit of justice inspire hope in the inmates he represents and their families.
Read an in-depth analysis of Bryan Stevenson.
Walter McMillian
An African American resident of Monroeville, Alabama, who is wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Hard-working, independent, and well-liked, McMillian’s wrongful arrest and prosecution is the central case of Just Mercy. Through six years on death row, McMillian maintains his dignity and sense of humor, demonstrating his indomitable spirit.
Read an in-depth analysis of Walter McMillian.
Ralph Myers
A key witness in the prosecution’s case against Walter McMillian. Bearing burn scars as the result of a childhood accident, Myers is an illiterate outcast and drug user. He is easily manipulated into false accusations against McMillian because he is prone to exaggeration and enjoys getting the police’s attention.
Read an in-depth analysis of Ralph Myers.
Herbert Richardson
A Vietnam veteran sentenced to death row. Richardson’s story describes the path from the military to prison for many combat veterans suffering from PTSD. His revelation of the helpfulness of those around him with his execution pending demonstrates the irony of a system and a society where help comes too late for those who need it most.
Read an in-depth analysis of Herbert Richardson.
Tom Tate
The newly elected Sheriff of Monroe County. Driven by inexperience and public pressure for an arrest in the Morrison murder, Tate is not above obtaining false testimony through intimidation and bribery. He regularly uses racist language and tells McMillian that he should have been lynched. He uses fear as a tool to control McMillian and other Black residents.
Read an in-depth analysis of Tom Tate.
Ted Pearson
The District Attorney of Monroe County who illegally withholds evidence during McMillian’s initial trial and conviction. With his retirement nearing, Pearson’s leading role in the wrongful prosecution reveals that his desire for a win overrides his commitment to truth and justice.
Read an in-depth analysis of Ted Pearson.
Tom Chapman
The district attorney who replaces Ted Pearson after his retirement. Though he at first stands by McMillian’s conviction, he eventually compels a new investigation, suggesting his regard for the truth. Chapman’s admission that he learned from the case and his desire to shake Walter’s hand reveal his humility and humanity.
Read an in-depth analysis of Tom Chapman.
Karen Kelly
A young white woman who initiates an affair with Walter McMillian. Their interracial romance results in town gossip and distrust of McMillian. Her divorce, custody case, and drug use lead to a friendship with Ralph Myers. Though Myers doesn’t know McMillian, he knows of him through Kelly, setting up his false accusation.
Robert E. Lee Key
The judge for McMillian’s initial trial. Judge Key reveals his pre-trial bias by discouraging Stevenson from serving as attorney on the case and approving of a change of venue to a county with virtually no Black residents.
Bill Hooks
A young Black man known as a jailhouse informant. Hooks is willing to give false testimony against McMillian for his own benefit.
Darnell Houston
A Black man in his twenties who worked with Bill Hooks. When Houston comes forward to refute Hooks’s testimony against McMillian, Chapman files perjury charges against him. Houston stands as an example of a corrupt system using intimidation and oppression to suppress the truth.
Minnie McMillan
The wife of Walter McMillian. Hospitable, patient, strong, and devoted to her family, Minnie believes in her husband’s innocence and advocates for his release. While she supports her husband in court, her decision that Walter not return home reveals the trauma the case and his infidelity have caused.
Ronda Morrison
The 18-year-old daughter of a respected Monroeville family. The town’s desperation for an arrest and conviction following her murder combines with fear and racism to make Walter McMillian law enforcement’s target.
Henry
The first death-row prisoner Bryan Stevenson meets during his internship with the Southern Prisoners Defense Committee. Henry’s humanity and hopefulness impact Stevenson’s commitment to a career serving death row inmates.
Joe Sullivan
A thirteen-year-old boy convinced by two older teens to participate in a robbery. When the elderly homeowner is sexually assaulted later in the day, the older boys implicate Sullivan. Abused, neglected, and mentally disabled, Sullivan is tried as an adult and sent to prison. When he’s freed after nearly thirty years, he shows his gratitude by giving Stevenson five different Father’s Day cards.
Ian Manuel
A thirteen-year-old boy who shoots a woman during an armed robbery with two older boys. Sentenced to life without parole in an adult prison, Manuel’s story demonstrates the inhumane practice of solitary confinement. His emotional phone call to his victim, Debbie Baigre, reveals his remorse, while her advocacy for Manuel’s release reveals a capacity for mercy.
Trina Garrett
The youngest of twelve children of an abusive father and sickly mother. Suffering from intellectual disabilities, she and a friend accidentally start a house fire that kills two boys. Garrett’s case highlights the issues of ineffective legal counsel, mandatory minimum sentencing, life sentences for juveniles, and sexual assault in the prison system.
Marsha Colbey
A forty-three-year-old wife and doting mother from an impoverished area of rural Alabama. Her home delivery of a stillborn baby leads to capital murder charges, highlighting the legal bias against poor mothers, as well as the media and public obsession with dangerous mother stories. Her appearance at a dinner three months following her release from prison demonstrates hope realized due to the work of Stevenson and his colleagues.
Read an in-depth analysis of Marsha Colbey.
Bryan Stevenson’s Grandmother
The matriarch of the Stevenson family. Bryan Stevenson’s grandmother grew up in Virginia during the post-Reconstruction era, and her parents had been enslaved. Very protective of her family, Bryan fondly reflects on the love and comfort that she gave him as a child.
Read an in-depth analysis of Bryan Stevenson's grandparents.
Bryan Stevenson’s Grandfather
Bryan Stevenson’s grandfather and a murder victim at age eighty-six. While living alone in South Philadelphia after separating from his wife, a group of teenagers broke into his apartment, stole his television, and senselessly killed him. While his grandfather may have died when he was a teenager, Stevenson’s later experiences working with children sentenced to life in prison give him a new perspective on the tragedy.
Read an in-depth analysis of Bryan Stevenson's grandparents.
Harper Lee
The author of the famed 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee sets her story of racial injustice in her home state of Alabama, and as a result, many organizations in the state celebrate her and her work. As Stevenson points out, however, these celebrations often gloss over the fact that Atticus Finch ultimately fails in his attempt to defend his client, Tom Robinson. This irony emphasizes a broader resistance toward acknowledging the racial disparities that plague the United States.
Rosa Parks
A celebrated figure of the Civil Rights movement known for her involvement in the Montgomery bus boycott. In 1955, she refused to give her bus seat up to a white passenger. Stevenson meets Parks when she returns to visit friends in Montgomery, and he takes note of her kind spirit and vision for the future.
The Prison Guard
An aggressive correctional officer whom Stevenson encounters while visiting Avery Jenkins in prison. After forcing Stevenson to submit to an unwarranted strip search upon entering, he menacingly reveals that he owns the Confederate flag-covered truck in the parking lot. The guard, however, undergoes a change of heart after hearing Stevenson defend Jenkins in court and admits to supporting his cause. His own background as a foster child helps him sympathize with Jenkins’s case.
Read an in-depth analysis of the prison guard.
Avery Jenkins
A Black man sentenced to death for the brutal murder of an older man despite the fact that he exhibits very clear signs of severe mental illness. Stevenson learns that Jenkins grew up in a series of unsafe foster homes, displayed symptoms of an intellectual disability at an early age, and was eventually left homeless. While Stevenson manages to get him off death row and access to the psychiatric help he needs, Jenkins’s story ultimately highlights the harsh treatment that those with mental illnesses endure both in the community and in prison.
Charlie
A small fourteen-year-old boy who is tried as an adult for the murder of his mother’s abusive boyfriend. The dissociation that Charlie initially displays when Stevenson arrives, which eventually turns into hysterical sobbing and mentions of enduring sexual abuse, highlights the extreme physical and psychological toll that adult prisons can have on children. Stevenson succeeds in getting Charlie’s case moved to a juvenile court, and because of this reduced sentence and support from his community, he goes on to build a successful life.
Mrs. Williams
An elegant, older Black woman who arrives at the courthouse to support McMillan during his new hearing. Despite her enthusiasm to represent her community, she cowers in fear when she sees a large police dog inside and later explains that it reminded her of the violence she endured in Selma in 1965. Mrs. Williams proudly overcomes her fears, however, and enters the courtroom the next day, a moment which highlights not only her own resilience but that of the Black community as well.
Read an in-depth analysis of Mrs. Williams.
The Old Man in the Wheelchair
An elderly man whom Stevenson meets after giving a talk at a Black church in rural Alabama. Afterwards, he commends Stevenson for the important work that he does on behalf of those unfairly incarcerated and shares his own stories of fighting for racial equality. This moment reminds Stevenson that despite the seemingly insurmountable struggles that he faces, the pursuit of justice is ultimately an honorable and necessary act.
Steve Bright
The director of the Southern Prisoners Defense Committee. Bright is brilliant and dedicated. His passion for justice for death-row inmates inspires Stevenson’s work.
Eva Ansley
The co-founder, with Bryan Stevenson, of the organization that would become the Equal Justice Initiative. Described as fearless and smart, Ansley focuses on administrative and financial matters so that EJI can focus on its commitment to social justice.
