Byron de la Beckwith, convicted in 1994 of gunning down Mississippi civil rights activist Medgar Evers in 1963, died Sunday night after being taken to a hospital from his jail cell. FBI Freedom of Information Act Collection, United States. return cookiePair[1]; De La Beckwith was born in Colusa, California to Susan Southworth Yerger. In 1969, all the previous charges of murder that he was charged with were dismissed. Your email: New quote (or change to quote): His mother died of lung cancer when he was 12 years old . He had suffered from numerous illnesses including high blood pressure and kidney disease. They were married 8 Jun 1983 in Sequatchie, Tennessee. To view this story, you must be logged in and a current RNS subscriber. When the jury of eight blacks and four white people returned a guilty verdict on Feb. 5, 1994, he appeared dazed, as though not sure where he was. Evers's widow, Myrlie Evers Williams, did not give up on bringing her husband's killer to justice. : Did I kill Medgar Evers? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. A gun found 150 feet from the site of the shooting had Beckwith's fingerprint on it. Byron De La Beckwith Jr. (November 9, 1920 - January 21, 2001) was an American racial oppressor and Klansman from Greenwood, Mississippi, who killed the social liberties pioneer Medgar Evers on June 12, 1963. Ghosts of Mississippi is distributed by Columbia Pictures. Both juries were all-white. At the age of twelve, he lost his mother to lung cancer. They divorced in 1960. De La Beckwith was born in Colusa, California, the son of Susan Southworth Yerger and Byron De La Beckwith, Sr., the town postmaster. Medgar Evers was killed on June 12, 1963, and in 1994, some thirty years later, Byron De La Beckwith was convicted of murdering Evers. Ross Barnett shaking hands with Mr. Beckwith in the courtroom before they deliberated.). Medgar Evers was a member of the NAACP and the first field secretary for Mississippi. [seemingly shocked] Pronunciation of Byron De La Beckwith with 1 audio pronunciation and more for Byron De La Beckwith. Clear thinking is to think of nothing at all. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. He served as a machine gunner in the Pacific Theatre of World War 2. There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more. DeLaughter's conviction and determination in pursuing the cold case put a strain on his seventeen year marriage to Dixie. , Book details . Mr. Beckwith died at the University of Mississippi Medical Center shortly after he was moved there from a prison 13 miles away, said Ken Jones, a corrections agency spokesman. No, sir. He remained in prison until his death in 2001 at age 80. In 1967, Mr. Beckwith ran for lieutenant governor and got more than 34,000 votes, finishing fifth in a field of six. }); })(); In 1942, he enlisted into the United States Marine Corps. Blacks were not allowed to vote or participate in jury duty. A.async = !0; Byron assassinated Evers on June 12, 1963, when he was forty-two years old. Byron De La Beckwith worked as a salesman to provide for his family. See the article in its original context from. You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her. var gads = document.createElement("script"); } His second wife, Thelma, and the son survive. UPI File Photo. Byron De La Beckwith if (a[a9]) return; Barnett's looming presence was clearly evident at the first trial of white supremacist and KKK leader, Byron De La Beckwith in February 1964. session: { id: "476-9535508-6380125" }, We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. In 1925, his father died of pneumonia, and his mother relocated them to Greenwood, Mississippi. for(var i=0; i September sky events . Byron De La Beckwith. In Mississippi, the council prevented school integration until 1964. Those who will not reason, are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves. "Events.SushiEndpoint": "https://unagi.amazon.com/1/events/com.amazon.csm.csa.prod", Married 8 Jun 1983 in Sequatchie, Tennessee harmful and difficult to view, liberating the Philippine capital from authority! Mississippi is 130 minutes long to convict Byron De La Beckwith to vote or in. 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