New Filing Exposes Klan Ties of Rocky Myers’s Defense Lawyer and Seeks to Overturn His Conviction
Rocky’s legal team has filed a petition asking a Morgan County court to overturn his conviction after uncovering evidence that his court-appointed defense lawyer had deep ties to the Ku Klux Klan. The D.A. has until March 16 to respond.
We’re sharing an important update in the fight for justice for Rocky. Following his 2025 clemency, his legal team has filed a petition asking a Morgan County court to set aside his conviction and grant him a new trial. The filing presents powerful new evidence about the lawyer appointed to defend Rocky, evidence that raises deeply troubling questions about whether Rocky ever received the fair trial the Constitution guarantees.The court filings referenced in this update are available to review in full below.
A Case That Has Long Raised Serious Doubts: What We Know
In 1994, a Morgan County jury convicted Rocky of the 1991 stabbing death of Luddie Mae Tucker. Jurors recommended a sentence of life without parole.
But the judge overrode that recommendation and sentenced Rocky to death. Rocky has always maintained his innocence.
When Governor Kay Ivey granted clemency in early 2025, she acknowledged serious doubts about the case and wrote that she had “enough questions about Mr. Myers’ guilt” that she could not allow the execution to move forward.
Among the concerns Governor Ivey cited:
No murder weapon was ever found
No DNA, fingerprints, or other physical evidence tied Rocky to the crime scene
Neither of the only two eyewitnesses identified Rocky as the attacker
Clemency spared Rocky’s life, but it did not correct the injustice of his conviction.
This new petition asks the court to finally examine the evidence and allow the truth to be heard.
Evidence About Rocky’s Court-Appointed Defense Lawyer
The petition focuses on two central issues:
First: Rocky is innocent.
Second: Rocky was denied meaningful representation at trial.
The filing presents extensive evidence that Rocky’s court-appointed defense lawyer, Decatur attorney John Mays, had deep and public ties to the Ku Klux Klan, a violent white supremacist organization responsible for decades of terror across the South.
According to the petition, Mays served as a featured speaker at multiple Klan rallies across Alabama, Florida, Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee between 1977 and 1981. The filing includes photographs appearing to show Mays speaking at a Klan rally in Gadsden, Alabama.
Contemporary news reports described Mays as “Imperial Counsel” to the United Klans of America.
The United Klans of America was one of the largest and most violent Klan organizations in the country. The group has been linked to the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, the killing of civil rights volunteer Viola Liuzzo, and the 1981 lynching of Michael Donald in Mobile.
The petition also includes evidence that Mays contributed to The Fiery Cross, a publication produced by the United Klans of America.
A Trial That Continues to Raise Troubling Questions
Rocky is a Black man who was accused of killing a white woman.
Five years after publicly defending the Ku Klux Klan in court, John Mays was appointed to represent him.
According to the new filing, Mays’s own trial files include handwritten notes describing a potential juror as someone who “hates n*****s.”
The petition also states that Mays used degrading language about Rocky in front of the jury, referring to his own client as a “crackhead” and a “criminal.”
Rocky’s legal team argues that these facts raise profound concerns about whether Rocky ever received the fair trial guaranteed by the Constitution.
What Happens Next
A Morgan County judge has given the District Attorney until March 16 to respond to Rocky’s petition.
The court will then decide whether Rocky’s conviction should be overturned and whether Rocky will receive a new trial.
For Rocky and everyone who believes in justice, this filing represents another important step in a fight that has lasted more than three decades.
Clemency saved Rocky’s life.
Now we continue the fight to clear his name.
Court Filings
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Rule 32 Petition Filing
August 8, 2025
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Motion for Additional Time
December 1, 2025
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Order Granting State's Motion to Extend
December 2, 2025
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Emergency Motion to Prevent Spoilation
February 13, 2026
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Order Denying Emergency Motion
February 15, 2026