The Medgar Evers autopsy, conducted in 1991, provided vital evidence in the third trial of his murderer, Byron De La Beckwith.
Medgar Evers, a prominent Civil Rights Leader, was assassinated in 1963, sparking national attention and becoming a rallying cry for the movement. The white supremacist killer was tried twice, but both trials ended in a hung jury.
It wasn’t until 1994 that he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Despite the passage of time, Evers’ family still mourns his death and continues to fight for justice and equality.
Medgar Evers Autopsy and Death Cause
On June 12, 1963, a sniper shot and killed Medgar Evers in the driveway of his Jackson, Mississippi, home. His assassination received national attention and became a rallying cry for the civil rights movement.
Byron De La Beckwith, a white supremacist, was tried twice in 1964 for the murder of Evers, but both trials ended in a hung jury.
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Beckwith was not prosecuted further, and he moved to Signal Mountain, Tennessee, where he lived for eight years. In 1990, the Hinds County District Attorney’s Office in Mississippi reopened the case amid evidence and jury tampering charges.
The murder weapon, a rifle found near where Evers was slain, had Beckwith’s fingerprint on it, but he claimed the weapon had been stolen from his home. The rifle was vital evidence in Beckwith’s first two trials.
However, it went missing after the second trial until it was discovered in the fall of 1989. The gun had the family of Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Russell D. Moore III, who had died in 1989.
Prosecutors in Mississippi requested the exhumation of Evers’ body in 1991 to conduct a new autopsy as they prepared for Beckwith’s third trial. Dr. Michael Baden performed the autopsy at Albany Medical Center.
Baden was a pathologist for congressional committees investigating President Kennedy’s assassinations and civil rights Leader Martin Luther King Jr. It is unclear what evidence prosecutors may have sought from the autopsy.
However, they believed that the rifle used to kill Evers was a key piece of evidence. Beckwith was extradited to Mississippi to stand trial again, and in 1994, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Medgar Evers Family Still Mourns The Death Of Their Loved One
Medgar Evers’ family still mourns his death despite the passage of time. Evers’ wife, Myrlie Evers-Williams, has been a prominent civil rights activist in her own right, working to keep her husband’s legacy alive and fighting for justice and equality.
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In an interview in 2020, Evers-Williams reflected on her husband’s death and its impact on her family. She said,
“There are moments when it felt like yesterday, and then there are moments when it feels like it’s been forever.”
She also spoke about the ongoing struggle for civil rights and the need for people to continue fighting for justice. Evers-Williams is not alone in her grief.
The families of other Civil Rights leaders killed during the struggle for equality continue to mourn their loved ones. For example, the family of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. mourns his death every year on the anniversary of his assassination.
Despite the pain of their loss, these families have also found strength in the knowledge that their loved ones’ deaths were not in vain. The Civil Rights movement brought about significant changes in American society.
Likewise, the sacrifices made by leaders like Evers and King paved the way for future generations.