The KKK member who bragged about killing Medgar Evers for 30 years

Byron De La Beckwith’s Three-Decade Boast of Murder

The Medgar Evers Home National Monument in Jackson, Mississippi preserves the carport where civil rights leader Medgar Evers was gunned down on June 12, 1963.

His killer, Byron De La Beckwith, walked free after two hung juries in 1964.

For thirty years, the KKK member bragged openly about the murder at white supremacist rallies, calling it no harder than childbirth. He even ran for lieutenant governor while boasting about his crime.

The case seemed closed until brave witnesses finally came forward in the 1990s, leading to his conviction in 1994. This is the remarkable story of how justice delayed became justice served.

A Civil Rights Leader’s Life Ended in His Own Driveway

Medgar Evers pulled into his driveway just after midnight on June 12, 1963. He carried “Jim Crow Must Go” T-shirts as he walked toward his Jackson, Mississippi home.

His wife Myrlie and their three children waited inside after watching President Kennedy’s civil rights speech on TV. Byron De La Beckwith hid in a honeysuckle thicket 150 feet away and shot Evers in the back with his .30-06 Enfield rifle. Evers died an hour later at the hospital.

FBI Found Clear Evidence Pointing to the Killer

The FBI quickly linked De La Beckwith to the crime. They found his fingerprint on the rifle scope left at the murder scene.

People spotted his white Plymouth Valiant with its odd whip antenna near Evers’ home. Local taxi drivers told police De La Beckwith had asked how to get to Evers’ house days before the murder.

When police arrested the 42-year-old fertilizer salesman and KKK member on June 23, 1963, he had a bruised eye from rifle kickback.

Mississippi’s Governor Shook Hands with the Accused Murderer

The February 1964 trial was rigged from the start. An all-white male jury heard the case because Black citizens couldn’t vote or serve on juries.

The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission secretly checked jurors to remove anyone likely to convict. Governor Ross Barnett walked into court and shook hands with De La Beckwith right in front of the jury.

The White Citizens’ Council paid all legal costs for the defense. Despite solid evidence, the jury couldn’t agree.

Second Trial Followed the Same Playbook

April 1964 brought a replay of the first trial. Another all-white male jury heard the same evidence, including the rifle with De La Beckwith’s fingerprints.

Two Greenwood police officers claimed he was 90 miles away during the murder. Governor Barnett again showed his support by shaking the defendant’s hand in court.

The second jury also failed to reach a verdict. Officials dropped all murder charges in 1969.

The Killer Boasted About His Crime at Klan Rallies

De La Beckwith started openly bragging about killing Evers at KKK gatherings. Former FBI informant Delmar Dennis heard him boasting at a 1965 Klan meeting in Byram.

De La Beckwith told the crowd that “killing that nigger didn’t cause me any more physical harm than your wives did to have a baby for you.” He became a popular speaker at closed Klan meetings, talking about his “accomplishment.”

White Supremacists Celebrated the Murderer as a Hero

People across Mississippi knew what De La Beckwith had done. He ran for Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi in 1967.

Supporters sent letters cheering him on while he sat in jail. At parties, he called Evers “a damn, chicken-stealing dog.”

When refusing to shake hands with people, he told them “you know what you have to do once they’ve tasted blood. ” He kept denying the crime publicly while privately bragging for decades.

Prison Guards Heard Shocking Confessions

De La Beckwith got in trouble in 1973 when police caught him with dynamite, guns, and a map to a Jewish leader’s home in New Orleans. His 1975 conviction for planning murder sent him to Angola State Prison.

Guard Mark Reiley became close to him and heard detailed confessions during Bible study.

De La Beckwith yelled at a Black nurse: “If I could get rid of an uppity nigger like Medgar Evers, I would have no problem with a no-count nigger like you.”

Strangers Across the South Heard Him Brag for Decades

Mary Ann Adams refused to shake his hand in 1966 when someone introduced him as “the man who killed Medgar Evers.”

Tennessee tenant Dan Prince heard De La Beckwith say he was “tried twice in Mississippi for killing that nigger. ” Peggy Morgan testified that De La Beckwith threatened to kill again if his prison visit became known.

Witnesses across three decades heard him bragging about the murder throughout white supremacist networks.

New Evidence Exposed a Rigged System

Investigators reopened the case in 1989 after learning the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission illegally helped the defense in the 1964 trials.

Reporter Jerry Mitchell uncovered state tampering with jury selection. Myrlie Evers provided a key trial transcript from the 1964 proceedings.

Officials gathered witness testimony about De La Beckwith’s decades of bragging. A grand jury filed new charges in December 1990, 27 years after the original crime.

Thirty Years Later, A Diverse Jury Heard the Truth

January 1994 brought a new trial with eight Black and four white jurors. Prosecutors showed the original murder weapon with De La Beckwith’s fingerprints still on it.

Six new witnesses testified about hearing him brag about killing Evers over 30 years. The defense again claimed he was in Greenwood during the murder and brought the same police alibis.

The 73-year-old defendant wore a Confederate flag pin daily and complained about his health.

Justice Finally Caught Up to the Bragging Killer

The jury found De La Beckwith guilty on February 5, 1994, exactly 31 years after the original crime and 30 years after his first trial. The court sentenced him to life in prison without parole at age 73.

His appeals claiming violations of speedy trial rights failed in both the Mississippi Supreme Court and US Supreme Court.

De La Beckwith died in prison on January 21, 2001, finally paying for the murder he bragged about for decades.

Visiting Medgar Evers Home National Monument, Mississippi

The Medgar Evers Home National Monument at 2332 Margaret Walker Alexander Drive in Jackson’s Elraine Historic District is free to visit. You can take ranger tours Tuesday through Saturday from 9am to 4pm.

The home shows how the Evers family lived in the 1950s, with mattresses lowered to the floor for safety during the civil rights era. Groups of 10 or more need advance reservations at 601-345-7211.

Get your National Park passport stamp at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum on North Street.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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