Eighth Generation

12551. Ernest Reid Coffey³⁶⁷⁴⁹ was born on 25 December 1916 in North Carolina. Person:first] was convicted³⁶⁷⁵⁰

News Item, The Greensboro Daily News, Greensboro, NC, Fri., Jul. 10, 1936, Page 22

Avery County Man Sentenced To Death

Reed Coffey Convicted of Slaying Officer-Uncle--Hicks sentenced for Old Homicide.

Newland, July 9.--(AP) - Reed Coffey was found guilty in Avery county Superior court here today of first degree murder in connection with the slaying at Linville last April of his uncle, Deputy Sheriff Hardy Coffey. Eugene Eller, clerk of court, said records show it was the first first degree murder conviction in the history of Avery county.

Judge J. H. Clement sentenced Coffey to die in the lethal gas chamber at state's prison, September 11. Attorney for Coffey filed notice of appeal.

Judge Clement also sentenced Jurd Hicks to five years in state's prison for the slaying 26 years ago of Charlie Winters, of the Elk river section, during a drunken brawl. Hicks, who did not know his age but who relatives said was in 70's, submitted Wednesday to a charge of manslaughter. He was arrested in Burke county last May after having been a fugitive since the day of the fatal fight.

Coffey took the stand this morning and denied he killed his uncle to prevent the officer from appearing against him at a hearing on another charge, as was contended by the state. He attacked the testimony of Rhonard McRae, who told the jury Coffey boaster of the killing to him.

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A small blurb appeared on page 1 In the Thu., Oct. 15, 1936 edition of the Greensboro Daily News, where it was reported that the Coffey appeal had been denied. "In the Coffey case the jury had to find the facts from circumstances and all these were against the killer who slew his uncle. It was in evidence that Reed Coffey shot his uncle Hardie [sic] Coffey through the window while the elder man was giving his small daughter a lesson on the violin. The uncle is said to have made charges that his nephew had been stealing and the younger man began to swear against the life of the elder. The jury believed the circumstantial testimony and found Coffey guilty of murder in the first degree."

The death sentence of he was commuted by Governor Hoey to life on 4 August 1937 in Raleigh, Wake Co., NC.³⁶⁷⁵¹

Commutation Notice - The Greensboro Daily News, Greensboro, NC, Thu., Aug. 5, 1937, Page 11

Avery Youth Saved From Gas Chamber

Governor Commutes Death Sentence to Life Imprisonment for Reed Coffey.

Statement is issued

Raleigh, Aug. 4--(AP)--Governor Hoey today declined executive clemency to George Exum, 22, Wayne county negro scheduled to die Friday, but commuted to life imprisonment the death sentence of Reed Coffey, 20, Avery county white man who was to have been put to death at the same time.

Denial of intervention by the governor closed the door of escape from the death penalty for the negro, who was convicted in December 1936 for the murder of his wife's aunt.

Governor Hoey said the state "relied heavily upon circumstantial evidence" in convicting Coffey and added: "If I become hereafter convinced of the prisoner's innocence, I shall extend a full pardon." Coffey was convicted in July, 1936, of the murder of his uncle, Hardy Coffey.

Originally six were to have been put to death in the gas chamber Friday. Three of the condemned men appealed to the state Supreme court, thereby staying their execution, and earlier this week Governor Hoey commuted to life imprisonment the death sentence of another one, William Jackson, Forsyth negro convicted of criminal assault.

Governor Hoey said Coffey had protested his innocence "from the beginning" and contended he was at church at the time the crime was committed.

"From strictly unimpeachable sources, that is, the coroner and the two sisters of the deceased" Governor Hoey said in a statement, "we know that the widow and daughter of the deceased changed the time at which the homicide was supposed to have been committed from a few minutes after 8 (testified to at the inquest) to 20 or 15 minuted to 8 (testified to at the trial)." The statement said Coffey and his witnesses testified he arrived at the church shortly before a quarter of 8 o'clock.

The chief executive quoted from a petition of the trial jury requesting clemency, as well as a petition by "a large number" of Avery county citizens, among whom, Governor Hoey said, "at least a dozer" were close relatives of the deceased.

"The trial judge, the trial solicitor and the sheriff of Avery county do not concur in this action." the statement said. "I wish to say, however, that all three have favored a full and free investigation of this case." [Name] was paroled in Raleigh, Wake Co., NC on 23 January 1948³⁶⁷⁵²

News Item, The Greensboro Record, Greensboro, NC, Jan. 23, 1948, Page 2, Col. 5

Once Condemned Prisoner Paroled

Raleigh, Jan. 23 - (UP) - Reed Coffey, 31-year-old Avery County man who entered death row 10 1/2 years ago to die for the murder of his uncle, was free on parole today still declaring his innocence.

Coffey was convicted in in Avery Superior Court in July 1936, of first degree murder in the death of his uncle, Hardy Coffey. The conviction and a mandatory death sentence was gained on circumstantial evidence.

Paroles Commission officials said Coffey's claims that he was "framed" were just as strong as the evidence. Rumors and shreds of evidence led the commission to believe there was doubt in the case and his execution was delayed. In August, 1937, Gov. Clyde Hoey commuted the sentence to life imprisonment.

Further investigation gave added weight to Coffey's claims that the man who shot his uncle was some one else. In 1940 Hoey again lightened the sentence to 20 to 30 years. Ernest died in Raleigh, Wake Co., NC on 16 March 1981 and was buried at Brier Creek Memorial Gardens in Leesville, Wake Co., NC in March 1981 .^{36753,36754,36755}

Ernest Reid was convicted in 1937 of killing his uncle, James Hardy Coffey. James was a deputy sheriff in Avery Co., and was ambushed after returning home from work. It is said that Hardy suspected Ernest of breaking and entering summer camps around the area, and that he was killed to prevent the arrest of Ernest. According to family history, Ernest was subsequently pardoned by the Gov. of North Carolina.

The book, Until he is dead* by James Thomas Rusher, devotes considerable space to the murder, the trial and subsequent efforts to free Reid, as he was called, from prison. Even today there are doubts about Reid's guilt and whether someone else in his family shot James Hardy Coffey.

*Published 2003 by Parkway Publishers, Inc., Boone, N.C.

Ernest Reid Coffey and Zula May Baker were married. Zula May Baker, daughter of Clem Baker, was born circa 1915 in North Carolina. Zula died in Raleigh, Wake Co., NC on 16 May 1977 and was buried at Brier Creek Memorial Gardens in Raleigh, Wake Co., NC on 18 May 1977 .^36756,36757