In 1987, Marilyn Garrett was 34 years old, holding two jobs and raising two children. She also was among dozens of Floyd County residents called for jury duty in the Timothy Tyrone Foster death-penalty case.
During jury selection, prosecutors struck all four eligible blacks to serve on Foster's case,
Credit: Bill Rankin
Credit: Bill Rankin
which meant an all-white jury sentenced Foster to death. His crime was horrible: He strangled 79-year-old Queen Madge White after sexually abusing her with a salad dressing bottle.
But the exclusion of Garrett and one other prospective African-American juror has prompted appeals that landed Monday at the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard arguments on the case. Although Garrett was not there, she spoke Monday in a telephone interview from her home. She is now 63 and goes by Marilyn Whitehead, and she's still bitter about the experience.
To read The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's account, please go to the story on myajc.com.
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