I have written on this subject several times before but today I write because I am joyous!
Seale gets 3 life terms for '64 killings By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS, Associated Press Writer
JACKSON, Miss. - James Ford Seale, a reputed Ku Klux Klansman, was sentenced Friday to three life terms in prison for his role in the 1964 abduction and murder of two black teenagers in southwest Mississippi.
Seale, 72, was convicted in June on federal charges of kidnapping and conspiracy in the deaths of Charles Moore and Henry Hezekiah Dee, two 19-year-olds who disappeared from Franklin County on May 2, 1964.
The young men's bodies were found two months later in the Mississippi River.
The prosecution's star witness against Seale was Charles Marcus Edwards, a confessed Klansman, who received immunity from prosecution for his admitted role in the abductions and his testimony.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Deputies escorted James Ford Seale into court in a bulletproof vest and shackles Friday for sentencing for his role in the 1964 abduction and killing of two black teenagers.
The reputed Ku Klux Klansman, now 72, faces up to life in prison.
Seale was convicted in June on federal charges of kidnapping and conspiracy in the deaths of Charles Moore and Henry Hezekiah Dee, two 19-year-olds who disappeared from Franklin County on May 2, 1964. Their bodies were found two months later in the Mississippi River.
Charles Marcus Edward, a confessed Klansman who admitted being involved in the attack, was the prosecution's star witness against Seale and received immunity for his testimony,
Edward said Seale and other Klansmen abducted Dee and Moore near Meadville, forced them into the trunk of Seale's Volkswagen and drove them to a farm. The two were later tied up and driven across the Mississippi River into Louisiana.
Edwards said Seale told him that heavy weights were attached to the teenagers and they were then dumped alive into the river.
Seale was arrested on a state murder charge in 1964, but the charge was later dropped. Federal prosecutors say the state charges were dropped because local law enforcement officers in 1964 were in collusion with the Klan.
U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton told jurors that Klansman abducted and beat Dee and Moore in an attempt to find out if blacks were bringing firearms into Franklin County.
Moore's brother, Thomas Moore of Colorado Springs, Colo., helped research the crime and persuaded prosecutors to reopen their investigation.
The killings were among several decades-old civil rights cases reopened by federal investigators. Federal officials said in February that they were reopening investigations into about a dozen such cases.
JACKSON, Miss. - James Ford Seale, a reputed Ku Klux Klansman, was sentenced Friday to three life terms in prison for his role in the 1964 abduction and murder of two black teenagers in southwest Mississippi.
Seale, 72, was convicted in June on federal charges of kidnapping and conspiracy in the deaths of Charles Moore and Henry Hezekiah Dee, two 19-year-olds who disappeared from Franklin County on May 2, 1964.
The young men's bodies were found two months later in the Mississippi River.
The prosecution's star witness against Seale was Charles Marcus Edwards, a confessed Klansman, who received immunity from prosecution for his admitted role in the abductions and his testimony.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Deputies escorted James Ford Seale into court in a bulletproof vest and shackles Friday for sentencing for his role in the 1964 abduction and killing of two black teenagers.
The reputed Ku Klux Klansman, now 72, faces up to life in prison.
Seale was convicted in June on federal charges of kidnapping and conspiracy in the deaths of Charles Moore and Henry Hezekiah Dee, two 19-year-olds who disappeared from Franklin County on May 2, 1964. Their bodies were found two months later in the Mississippi River.
Charles Marcus Edward, a confessed Klansman who admitted being involved in the attack, was the prosecution's star witness against Seale and received immunity for his testimony,
Edward said Seale and other Klansmen abducted Dee and Moore near Meadville, forced them into the trunk of Seale's Volkswagen and drove them to a farm. The two were later tied up and driven across the Mississippi River into Louisiana.
Edwards said Seale told him that heavy weights were attached to the teenagers and they were then dumped alive into the river.
Seale was arrested on a state murder charge in 1964, but the charge was later dropped. Federal prosecutors say the state charges were dropped because local law enforcement officers in 1964 were in collusion with the Klan.
U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton told jurors that Klansman abducted and beat Dee and Moore in an attempt to find out if blacks were bringing firearms into Franklin County.
Moore's brother, Thomas Moore of Colorado Springs, Colo., helped research the crime and persuaded prosecutors to reopen their investigation.
The killings were among several decades-old civil rights cases reopened by federal investigators. Federal officials said in February that they were reopening investigations into about a dozen such cases.
It seems finally this nation is making these creeps accountable for their heinous acts! It is about time! I hope to see many more cases like this one!
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