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Four decades
Chronology of the Rideau case:
Associated Press
Published January 17, 2005
1961: On Feb. 16, Rideau, 19, robs a Lake Charles bank, kidnaps three employees and kills one. In April, he is convicted and sentenced to death.
1963: The U.S. Supreme Court overturns the conviction because Rideau's confession repeatedly aired on local television before the trial.
1964: Rideau convicted and sentenced to death at a second trial.
1969: Conviction overturned because of a Supreme Court ruling in another case.
1970: Rideau convicted and sentenced to death at a third trial, but the sentence is later commuted to life in prison.
1979-80: As editor of the Angolite prison magazine, Rideau wins several national journalism awards, including the George Polk Award for courage in journalism.
1990: Rideau wins Livingston Award for co-producing a National Public Radio documentary. He later helps write books and documentaries about prison life.
2000: 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturns conviction because black people were excluded from the 1961 grand jury.
2005: Rideau faces trial for the fourth time in the death of Julia Ferguson. This time he is convicted of manslaughter, allowing him to be sentenced to time served after nearly 44 years in prison.
[Last modified January 17, 2005, 01:06:09]
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Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
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