In Stephen King’s novel The Green Mile, the death-row inmate’s surname is Coffey.
John Coffey is a physically imposing prisoner convicted of murdering two young girls. The novel gradually challenges the assumptions behind his conviction as supernatural events reveal his unusual healing ability and his deeply compassionate nature.
His surname is spelled “Coffey,” although the character’s name is deliberately associated with the sound of “coffee.” This spelling is a frequent source of mistakes, especially because the novel includes the line explaining that his name is “like the drink, only not spelled the same.”
The Green Mile was originally released in six serialized paperback installments in 1996 before appearing as a single-volume edition. Its narrator is prison officer Paul Edgecombe, whose experiences on the execution block form the frame for the story. The 1999 film adaptation stars Michael Clarke Duncan as Coffey.