Posted on 06/17/2005 1:52:19 PM PDT by Steve Pope
FBI INFORMANTS LINK KLAN MEMBER TO 1964 CIVIL RIGHTS MURDERS
By Steve Pope
(Philadelphia, Mississippi, June 17, 2005) The trial of an 80-year-old former member of the Klu Klux Klan continued today after being abruptly recessed yesterday when the Defendant, Edgar Ray “Preacher” Killen was rushed to a hospital with high blood pressure. Killen returned to court this morning wearing a blue sport coat and white shirt, looking alert.
Killen, is charged with three counts of murder, having allegedly masterminded the slaying of three civil rights workers, James Chaney, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman on June 21, 1964 in Philadelphia, Mississippi.
The three men were in Mississippi during what has been called Freedom Summer, helping register black citizens to vote and starting schools.
During today’s testimony, Assistant Attorney General Lee Martin read the testimony of former Klansman, turned FBI Informant, Wallace Miller who testified in the 1967 trial in which jurors voted 11-1 to convict Killen on federal civil rights charges in the killing of the thee civil workers. Miller testified, “Killen told us to leave him [Schwerner] alone, that another unit was going to take care of him, that his elimination had been approved.”
Miller also testified in the 1967 trial that he was in a back room meeting when Killen told the group about the details of the plan to kill the civil rights workers and that Killen admitted knowing and talking to the Klan members who carried out the killings. Killen, according to Miller’s 67’ testimony, told him “they [KKK] burned the church to lure the civil rights workers up there, referring to Schwerner.”
Later in the afternoon, the 1967 testimony of another former Klansman turned FBI informant, Delmar Dennis, was read to the jury. Dennis testified that there was a meeting in April, 1964 that was attended by Killen. During this meeting, Dennis testified the approval of killing Schwerner came from Killen:
“A Sometimes in early April 1964 at Cash Salvage Store. After Mr. Killen had explained the approval of elimination process it was suggested by someone in the meeting.
Q Let me ask you if you could tell us those who were in the meeting?
A Those that I have already identified. Would you name those again for us?
A Wayne Roberts, Pete Harris, Edgar Ray Killen, Frank Herndon, B.L. Akin.
Q Now what was said?
A It was explain that it was necessary for a project to be approved at which time somebody in the group, I do not remember who it was or if it was one of the defendants, said that he believed we should vote on the elimination of "Goatee."
Q And who was Goatee?
A Goatee was Michael Schwerner. . . .
Q What if anything was said by Preacher Killen.
A He said that we were not yet organized in a Klavern and it would not be necessary for a local Klavern to approve that project that it had already been approved by the State Officers of the Klan and had been made a part of their program and it would be taken care of.”
Testimony from James Jorden, a former Klan member, who testified at the 1967 trial was read to the jury. Jorden testified that Killen personally arranged the abduction of the civil rights workers after their release from jail in Philadelphia.
Jorden’s testimony directly implicates Killen in planning the murders “Well, he [Killen]went in and talked to Frank Herndon first then he came back out and said he had a job he needed some help on over in Neshoba County and he needed some men to go with him…. He said that two or three of those civil rights workers were locked up and they needed their rear ends tore up…” When asked who the civil rights workers were, Killen said he knew one of them “.Whiskers, Goatee [Schwerner], he had several names for him” according to Jorden’s testimony.
Another witness, Mississippi resident, Jeff Winstead testified today that in 1967 when Winstead was 11 years old Killen told him that he took part in the killing of the three civil rights workers and testified that Killen said “I am proud of it.” On questioning by Killen’s lawyer, Winstead admitted that he was currently in jail, but he was not given any special treatment for testifying at Killen’s trial.
Also taking the stand today was retired FBI Agent Jay Cochran who testified that he was one of the FBI Agents who recovered the bodies of the three civil rights workers from a Mississippi dam. “After digging for most of the morning, at 2:50 p.m. we smelled the odor of decaying organic material. It could have been human or plant.” Cochran added, “ten minutes later is when I saw the bottom of boots and all digging stopped.” The bodies were then uncovered by hand and taken to the local hospital according to Cochran.
One of the attorneys representing Killen, James McIntyre was very vocal today during the lunch recess claiming that Killen is being “singled out for prosecution.” “There are other crimes that should be prosecuted first. The State of Mississippi needs to be going forward rather than backwards. They are opening old wounds.” McIntyre said. McIntyre represented Lawrence Rainey the former Sheriff of Neshoba County, Mississippi in the 1967 trial, where Rainey was acquitted of the federal civil rights charges involving the civil rights workers.
Killen has consistently maintained that he was at a funeral when the civil rights workers were killed. However, Killen’s alleged alibi may called into question by 1964 FBI reports which indicate that some of those in attendance at the funeral don’t remember seeing Killen at the funeral.
If convicted, Killen faces a sentence of life in prison.
Is this your original reporting from the trial? Stuff you are bringing here from your own blog? Just curious, since you signed on yesterday with apparently just this one subject in mind....
"...Lawrence Rainey the former Sheriff of Neshoba County, Mississippi..." was a democrat.
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