Killen found guilty

Edgar Ray Killen was found guilty today, on the 41st anniversary of the murders of Ben Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, of manslaughter on all three counts of his indictment. He was taken to the Neshoba County jail and will await sentencing on Thursday.

At the prosecution’s press conference after the verdict, prosecutor Jim Hood said, “you know, I, Mark and I, didn’t present this to a grand jury to settle any social problems. We presented this to a grand jury because there were victims who had family members who were murdered, and nothing was ever done by the state of Mississippi. So, I don’t know what to say other than that we were doing our jobs, it fell in our laps. I wish some of our predecessors – and I’m not knocking them in any way – had been able to do this 41 years ago.”

Look for your next edition of the DSJV for full, in-depth coverage of the Killen case and verdict.