Arthur Lee Giles

Arthur Lee Giles

Atmore - Arthur Lee Giles, 61, of Atmore, Alabama, passed on September 30, 2020. The cause of death was pneumonia. Mr. Giles, known as "Art" or "AG," was born and raised in Birmingham. He was preceded in death by his mother, Isaacphine Giles Snow, also of Birmingham.

Art was known for his good humor, patience, and intelligence. He spent over 41 years on Alabama's death row, and he was the longest serving inmate on death row at the time of his death of natural causes. He fought his death sentence steadfastly, and remained ever hopeful that he would obtain relief in the courts. At the time of his death, his case was pending before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. In his appeal, Art forcefully argued that the trial judge unlawfully rejected and "overrode" the jury's rejection of a death sentence in Art's case, and that there was even more mitigating evidence concerning Art that was never presented at trial. But apart from and even more important than challenging his death sentence, Art humbly acknowledged mistakes in his past, which resulted heavily from the extremely adverse and impoverished conditions in which he was raised, and he sought to demonstrate to everyone around him - attorneys, prison guards, and other inmates on death row - that he was a very different man in prison from the teenager he had been before, and that he sought to spread love, hope, perseverance and faith to everyone he encountered. Art helped teach a law class in the prison, and had a reputation for caring for and supporting his fellow death-row inmates. They became his principal "family."

Art leaves behind many good friends. He was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer in 2018, and was lovingly cared for at Holman Prison by neighboring death row inmates Westley Harris (DJ) and Roderick Byrd and others. His attorney was David DeBruin of Washington, D.C. A memorial service will be held at a later date at Nacoochee Presbyterian Church in Sautee-Nacoochee, Georgia.