Joan Little is an African American woman who was charged in 1974 with the murder of Clarence Alligood, a white prison guard at the Beaufort County Jail in Washington, North Carolina. Alligood attempted to rape Little, but she fought back and killed him in the process before escaping the facility. Her case became a cause célèbre among civil rights activists, feminists, and opponents of the death penalty. Little was ultimately acquitted, becoming the first woman in U.S. history to successfully use deadly force in self-defense against sexual assault as a legal defense. Her trial is also notable for its groundbreaking use of scientific jury selection, making it a landmark in American legal history.
Little was born on May 8, 1954, to Jessie Williams and an unnamed father in Washington, North Carolina. She was the oldest of six siblings, including four half-siblings. As a teenager, she took various jobs to support herself, including work as a waitress and in the tobacco industry.
In 1968, at the age of fourteen, Little’s mother asked a judge to classify her as a truant and commit her to the Dobbs Farm Training School in Kinston, North Carolina. After a few weeks, Little ran away and hitchhiked back to Washington. Upon learning of her return, her mother sent her to live with relatives in Philadelphia.
Between December 1973 and January 1974, Little was arrested multiple times. Her final arrest, which led to her conviction on June 4, 1974, involved three counts of breaking and entering and larceny. She requested to remain in the county jail in Washington rather than be transferred to the Correctional Facility for Women in Raleigh, partly so she could raise bond money.
On August 27, 1974, a police officer discovered Clarence Alligood’s body on Little’s bunk. He was found naked with stab wounds to his temple and heart, inflicted with an ice pick. Little was missing but surrendered to authorities a week later, claiming she had killed Alligood in self-defense during an attempted rape.
Little was charged with first-degree murder, a crime that carried a mandatory death sentence at the time. Her case made her the first woman of color to successfully claim self-defense in a murder case based on sexual assault. The trial drew national attention, attracting support from civil rights and feminist leaders, including Rosa Parks and Angela Davis. Her legal defense, led by Jerry Paul and Karen Bethea-Shields, was funded by the Joan Little Defense Committee, which raised over $350,000.
The trial began on July 14, 1975, and lasted until August 15. A jury of six white and six African American members rendered a verdict of not guilty. A key factor in her acquittal was testimony from other women, including African American inmates Ida Mae Roberson and Phyllis Ann Moore, who described Alligood’s history of sexual misconduct.
Although Little was acquitted of murder, she still had to serve her previous prison sentence. She later escaped from prison one month before becoming eligible for parole but was eventually caught and convicted for the escape. She was released in June 1979 and moved to New York City. In 1981, she was shot but survived. In 1989, she was arrested in New Jersey for driving a stolen car but was later released. After that, she disappeared from public view.
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