In court, he was confident and friendly with court officials and even with members of the jury, who were all white males from the area. The governor of Mississippi visited Beckwith during the trial, and some accounts state that the jury witnessed the governor hugging the defendant in the courtroom. For the African Americans in attendance, however, Beckwith showed only contempt. Despite the evidence against him, he appeared certain that his white male peers on the jury would find him not guilty.
Both the prosecution and defense were surprised when the jury came back after over thirty hours of deliberation and told the judge that they could not agree on a verdict. They were split nearly down the middle with no hope of reaching an agreement—a situation known as a hung jury. Because the trial could not be completed, prosecutors were free to file murder charges against Beckwith a second time, which they did.
This led to a new trial in , which also ended in a hung jury. Rather than risk acquittal with a third trial, prosecutors chose not to file charges until more convincing evidence arose or until conditions improved enough for African Americans that they could be sure to receive an impartial jury. Unlike other crimes, cases involving murder do not have to be taken to trial within a certain period of time, known as a statute of limitations.
Prosecutors could wait as long as necessary to guarantee a fair trial. Unlike the juries in the first two trials, the jury for the new trial was at last representative of the population in Jackson: it contained eight African Americans and several women. New evidence included witness testimony that Beckwith had bragged about committing the murder. In , at the age of seventy-three, Beckwith was at last found guilty of murdering Evers; he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Secretary of State Colin Powell gives a speech to the United Nations that is both highly consequential and full of fabrications on February 5, Using talking points that many within his own government had told him were either misleading or outright lies, Powell outlined The victory and subsequent destruction of the city of Carthage marked the end of the Punic Wars and represented Rome's replacement of Carthage as the On February 5, , year-old Josh Powell, who had been in the public eye since police labeled him a person of interest in the disappearance of his year-old wife, Susan, locks out a social worker then kills himself and his two sons, ages 5 and 7, by setting fire to his On February 5, , President Franklin Roosevelt announces a plan to expand the Supreme Court to as many as 15 judges, allegedly to make it more efficient.
Williams, a Puritan, worked as a teacher before serving briefly as a colorful pastor at Plymouth and then at Salem. Within a few Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox.
After seven years of revolution and civil upheaval, Mexican President Venustiano Carranza proclaims the modern Mexican constitution, which promises the restoration of lands to native peoples, the separation of church and state, and dramatic economic and educational reforms. The law required a literacy test for immigrants and barred Asiatic laborers, except for those from countries with special treaties or Aaron began his professional baseball career in in the Negro League and joined the Milwaukee Braves of the major league in , Griffith joined forces to create their own film studio, which they called the United Artists Corporation.
United Artists quickly gained prestige in Hollywood, thanks to the Both juries deadlocked. Beckwith, who wore a three-piece gray suit with a Confederate flag pin on the lapel, sat passively, yawned and nodded through most of the testimony Thursday. Her voice cracked and her eyes watered when DeLaughter showed her photographs of the murder scene and of Evers in his casket.
In many ways, the trial so far has been like a replay of the first. It is being held in the same courtroom with its vaulted ceiling and dark, carved wood; Myrlie Evers was the first witness then as now. And signs of the segregated past still are present.
Beckwith then was seen as a hero by many whites. Today, he is openly supported only by fringe elements in the white supremacist movement.
0コメント