Henry Francis Hays

Who was Henry Francis Hays?

Henry Francis Hays was a member of the Ku Klux Klan in Alabama, who was convicted and sentenced to death for a 1981 lynching-style murder of 19-year old African-American Michael Donald.

The lynching was ordered by KKK leaders, reportedly to "show Klan strength in Alabama." Donald was abducted at random from a Mobile street by two men, beaten with a tree limb, strangled, and his throat cut to make sure he was dead. His body was strung up in a tree across the street from his home.

A brief investigation took place and the local police claimed that Donald had been murdered as a result of a disagreement over a drug deal. Federal attorneys, as well as public pressure, led the FBI to examine the case. Hays and fellow KKK member, James Knowles— the two men who lynched Donald— were arrested, tried, and convicted. Knowles, who appeared as the chief prosecution witness, was convicted of violating Donald's civil rights and sentenced to life in prison. Hays was tried six months later and received a death sentence.

While on death row, Hays was incarcerated at the Holman Correctional Facility in Escambia County, Alabama.