Philadelphia, Miss.
A 79-year-old preacher was arrested last week for the 1964 murders of three civil rights workers—a case dramatized in the film Mississippi Burning. Edgar Ray Killen, a reputed Ku Klux Klan member, said he was innocent. The victims—James Chaney, 21; Michael Schwerner, 24; and Andrew Goodman, 20—had been registering black voters. They disappeared after driving down a dirt road to investigate a fire in a black church. Their bodies were found in a ditch. No one was charged, but prosecutors reopened the investigation in 1999. “This has been a long time coming,” said Goodman’s mother, Carolyn. “But it was definitely worth the wait.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Last hopes for justice for UK's nuclear test veteransUnder the Radar Thousands of ex-service personnel say their lives have been blighted by aggressive cancers and genetic mutations
-
'It may not be surprising that creative work is used without permission'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
5 simple items to help make your airplane seat more comfortableThe Week Recommends Gel cushions and inflatable travel pillows make a world of difference
