Today, we’re diving into a story that’s as heartbreaking as it is unforgettable: the tragic case of Joe Arridy, a young man with severe intellectual disabilities who was wrongfully convicted, executed in 1939, and finally pardoned in 2011 - 72 years after his death. Known as “the happiest man on death row,” Joe’s story is a stark reminder of the flaws in our justice system and the human cost of those failures. Let’s unpack this haunting tale and explore why it still resonates today. Joe Arridy was born in 1915 in Pueblo, Colorado, to Syrian immigrant parents, Henry and Mary, who were first cousins and spoke little English. From a young age, it was clear Joe was different. He was non-verbal until age five, and even as an adult, he spoke in short, simple sentences, often only responding when spoken to. Psychological tests later revealed he had an IQ of 46, functioning at the level of a young child. At school, his principal deemed him unable to learn and told his parents to keep him home. Joe spent his days wandering Pueblo, hammering nails or making mud pies, a habit he kept into his teens. His world was simple, innocent, and marked by a profound inability to grasp complex ideas - like guilt, crime, or consequences. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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