Who is John Coffey from The Green Mile?

John Coffey is a mysterious, magical man with the power of faith healing. He is accused of raping and murdering two little girls after he is found holding their bloody bodies and weeping. As a large black man, he is given no opportunity to defend himself and is considered guilty automatically.

When John comes on to the block, the guards are at first scared of him until they discover that he is more like a big teddy bear - scared of the dark and thankful for everything. He heals Paul of his urinary infection, and from that point, Paul tries to find out the truth behind John's story.

After John learns the truth about the girls by holding onto Wild Bill, he gives a bit of himself to Paul so that he can know the truth as well. Little does John know that this will give Paul a very long life. John is finally put in the electric chair, and he feels that it is a favor since he is tired of having to move from town to town without a friend in the world.