a memorial victims andrew goodman, james earl chaney, , michael h. schwerner @ mt. nebo missionary baptist church, philadelphia, mississippi. see murders of chaney, goodman, , schwerner.
journalist jerry mitchell, award-winning investigative reporter jackson clarion-ledger, had written extensively case many years. mitchell, had earned fame helping secure convictions in several other high-profile civil rights era murder cases, including assassination of medgar evers, birmingham, alabama 16th street baptist church bombing, , murder of vernon dahmer in mississippi, developed new evidence, found new witnesses , pressured state take action. barry bradford, illinois high-school teacher later famous helping clear name of civil rights martyr clyde kennard, , 3 students, allison nichols, sarah siegel, , brittany saltiel, joined mitchell s efforts.
bradford , students’ documentary, produced national history day contest, presented important new evidence , compelling reasons reopening goodman, chaney, , schwerner case. obtained interview edgar ray killen, helped persuade state open case investigation. mitchell able determine identity of mr. x , mystery informer had helped fbi discover bodies , smash conspiracy of klan in 1964, in part using evidence developed bradford , students.
on 14 september 2004, mississippi state attorney general jim hood announced gathering evidence charge of murder , intended take case grand jury. on 7 january 2005, edgar ray killen arrested. found guilty of 3 counts of manslaughter — not murder — on june 21, 2005, 41 years day after murders. sentenced sixty years in prison—twenty years each count, served consecutively.
on june 20, 2016, 1 day ahead of 52nd anniversary of murders, attorney general hood announced end federal , state investigations mississippi murders , officially closing case.
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