In 1949 four black men were wrongly accused of raping a 17-year-old white girl. Greenlee, Irvin, Shepard, and Thomas were accused of sexually assaulting Norma Padgett in Groveland, Florida after her car broke down. When initially arrested, three of the four were tortured until they gave a confession from two of them. Thomas who managed to escape custody was killed during the manhunt for him. Greenlee was sentenced to life while Irvin and Shepard received the death penalty. While being transferred from the county jail for a retrial, the sheriff shot both Irvin and Shepard. Shepard died at the scene and Irvin survived by playing dead. His sentence was later commuted to life in prison.  After 72 years behind bars, the truth has finally come out, and the men were set free from prison.