birmingham church bombing victims autopsy

September 15, 1963 - A bomb blast at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, kills four African-American girls during church services. Herman Frank Cash died of cancer in February 1994. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Today marks the 50th anniversary of the white supremacist bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama that killed four young girls. The four individuals named in the FBI report were Blanton, Cash, Chambliss, and Cherry. In Birmingham, hundreds gathered at the church for a commemorative service and wreath-laying at the spot where the bomb went off. This page was last edited on 2 January 2023, at 22:29. May 1, 2001 - Blanton is found guilty of first-degree murder and is sentenced to four life terms. "[122] Johnson reiterated that there was no hard evidence linking Cherry to the bombing, but only evidence attesting to his racist beliefs dating from that era, adding that the family members who had testified against him were all estranged and therefore should be considered unreliable witnesses. In the spring of 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. had been arrested there while leading supporters of his Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in a nonviolent campaign of demonstrations against segregation. The Aftermath. [73]:574, Chambliss appealed his conviction, as provided under the law, saying that much of the evidence presented at his trialincluding testimony relating to his activities within the KKKwas circumstantial; that the 14-year delay between the crime and his trial violated his constitutional right to a speedy trial; and the prosecution had deliberately used the delay to try to gain an advantage over Chambliss's defense attorneys. [59] These witness statements specifically indicated that a white man had exited the car and walked toward the steps of the church. Discovery Company. (The physical description by witnesses of this person varied, and could have matched either Bobby Cherry or Robert Chambliss. To begin with, the bombing came by surprise. The case was again reopened in 1980, 1988 and 1997, when two other former Klan members, Thomas Blanton and Bobby Frank Cherry, were finally brought to trial; Blanton was convicted in 2001 and Cherry in 2002. Although reports of the bombing and the loss of four children's lives were glorified by white supremacists, who in many instances chose to celebrate the loss as "four less niggers",[41] as news of the church bombing and the fact that four young girls had been killed in the explosion reached the national and international press, many felt that they had not taken the civil rights struggle seriously enough. The 'who' is every little individual who talks about the 'niggers' and spreads the seeds of his hate to his neighbor and his son What's it like living in Birmingham? [66] Later the same year, J. Edgar Hoover formally blocked any impending federal prosecutions against the suspects,[67] and refused to disclose any evidence his agents had obtained with state or federal prosecutors.[68]. Cross testified that each girl present had been taught to contemplate how Jesus would react to affliction or injustice, and they were asked to learn to consider, "What Would Jesus Do? Birmingham Public Library. Following the opening statements, the prosecution began presenting witnesses. [91] In the years since his incarceration, Chambliss had been confined to a solitary cell to protect him from attacks by fellow inmates. Now 86, he had asked the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles to let him die as a free man. [127] In this role, Rowe acted as an agent provocateur between 1961[128] and 1965. Although Baxley knew he had insufficient evidence to charge Blanton at this stage, he intended the subpoena to frighten Blanton into confessing his involvement and negotiating a plea deal to turn state evidence against his co-conspirators. Within days of the bombing, investigators began to focus their attention upon a KKK splinter group known as the "Cahaba Boys". The girls' death and the long wait for justice raises important questions about civil rights, racism, and the nature of restorative justice. Each received a $100 fine (the equivalent of $972 as of 2023[update]) and a suspended 180-day jail sentence. The church's pastor, the Reverend John Cross Jr., attempted to placate the crowd by loudly reciting the 23rd Psalm through a bullhorn. On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed into effect the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Family and friends of Carole Robertson attend graveside services for her in Birmingham on September 17, 1963. In attendance were major leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, including Martin Luther King Jr.[69] This legislation prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, or national origin; to ensure full, equal rights of African Americans before the law. Though Birminghams white supremacists (and even certain individuals) were immediately suspected in the bombing, repeated calls for the perpetrators to be brought to justice went unanswered for more than a decade. The explosion caused the church to cave in and kill four girls who had been in the bathroom in the church's basement. Most crucially, Blanton can also be heard saying that he was not with Miss Vaughn but, two nights before the bombing, was at a meeting with other Klansmen on a bridge above the Cahaba River. King later spoke before 8,000 people at the funeral for three of the girls (the family of the fourth girl held a smaller private service), fueling the public outrage now mounting across the country. Five children were in the basement at the time of the explosion,[23] in a restroom close to the stairwell, changing into choir robes[24] in preparation for a sermon entitled "A Rock That Will Not Roll". Fifty years ago, less than a month after the 1963 March on Washington, a bomb exploded at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL, killing four young African-American girls. Although never formally named as one of the conspirators by the FBI, Rowe's record of deception on the polygraph tests leaves open the possibility that Chambliss's claims may have held a degree of truth. [11], Black and white residents of Birmingham had access to different public amenities such as water fountains and places of public gathering such as movie theaters. At times as hard as crucible steel, but, today, you do not walk alone. On 21 November 1974, two bombs ripped through the Mulberry Bush and Tavern in the Town pubs in Birmingham, killing 21 and injuring 220. June 26, 2020 - Blanton dies in prison of natural causes, according to a statement released by Alabama Gov. September 16, 1963 - President John F. Kennedy responds by saying, If these cruel and tragic events can only awaken that city and state - if they can only awaken this entire nation to a realization of the folly of racial injustice and hatred and violence, then it is not too late for all concerned to unite in steps toward peaceful progress before more lives are lost., September 16, 1963 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holds a press conference in Birmingham, Alabama, saying that the US Army ought to come to Birmingham and take over this city and run it.. Following the bombing, the 16th Street Baptist Church remained closed for over eight months, as assessments and, later, repairs were conducted upon the property. It was declared a national historic landmark in 2006. November 18, 1977 - Chambliss is convicted of first-degree murder in connection with the bombing and sentenced to life imprisonment. At that point, Black Americans were forced to read more, The Orangeburg Massacre occurred on the night of February 8, 1968, when a civil rights protest at South Carolina State University (SC State) turned deadly after highway patrolmen opened fire on about 200 unarmed black student protestors. From left, 11-year-old Denise McNair and 14-year-olds Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley were killed while attending Sunday services. - Riots break out, and two African-American boys, Virgil. birmingham church bombing victims autopsy. [90], Robert Chambliss died in the Lloyd Noland Hospital and Health Center on October 29, 1985, at the age of 81. "[24] Another witness to testify was William Jackson, who testified as to his joining the KKK in 1963 and becoming acquainted with Chambliss shortly thereafter. 4 little girls directed by spike lee; vhs, color, 102 mins. Before his trial, Chambliss remained free upon a $200,000 bond raised by family and supporters and posted October 18. [50] Reportedly, Carole's mother, Alpha, had expressly requested that her daughter be buried separately from the other victims. [102] He said: "You've got to have a meeting to plan a bomb. The Birmingham City Council convened an emergency meeting to propose safety measures for the city, although proposals for a curfew were rejected. 4:37 PM EDT, Wed September 25, 2013, A grieving relative is led away from the site of the. Several dozen people were present at the unveiling, presided over by state Senator. But by September 20, the FBI was able to confirm that the explosion had been caused by a device that was purposely planted beneath the steps to the church,[57] close to the women's lounge. Investigative records show that Rowe had twice failed polygraph tests when questioned as to his possible involvement in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing and two separate, non-fatal explosions. Cochran also reminded the jury of a secretly obtained FBI recording, which had earlier been introduced into evidence, in which Cherry had told his first wife, Jean, that he and other Klansmen had constructed the bomb within the premises of business the Friday before the bombing. That bomb took the lives of four young girls, including my friend and playmate [Carol] Denise McNair. Birmingham became the center of the civil rights movement in spring 1963, when Martin Luther King Jr. and his supporters in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference arrived with a plan they called Project Cfor confrontation. Shortly thereafter, she had heard "the most horrible noise", before being struck on the head by debris. 1965 - Suspects emerge: Bobby Frank Cherry, Thomas Blanton, Robert Chambliss and Herman Frank Cash, all Ku Klux Klan members. All Rights Reserved. A key point contested as to the validity of the audiotapes being introduced into evidence, outside the hearing of the jury, was the fact that Cherry had no grounds to contest the introduction of the tapes into evidence, as, under the Fourth Amendment, neither his home or property had been subject to discreet recording by the FBI. Now the Jury Must Decide", "Bobby Frank Cherry, 74, Klansman in Bombing, Dies", "Gary T. Rowe Jr., 64, Who Informed on Klan In Civil Rights Killing, Is Dead", "Long Fight Predicted In Case Against Rowe", "Paid FBI Informer Tells Of Murder, Silence", "Memorial Dedicated For Church Bombing Victims On Anniversary", "Siblings of the bombing: Remembering Birmingham church blast 50 years on", "Girl Living in Darkness After Church Bombing", "Alabama church bombing victims honoured by Welsh window", "American civil rights: the Welsh connection", "Death spares scrutiny of Cash in bomb probe", "Pastor Was At Church When Bomb Killed Four", United States Government Publishing Office, "A History of American Protest: When Nina Simone Sang what Everyone was Thinking", "American Guernica, LKM Music - Hal Leonard Online", "Still Reeling From the Day Death Came to Birmingham", "Television Review: A Father's Guilt; A Son's Wrenching Decision", "That Which Might Have Been, Birmingham 1963 - Phoenix, Arizona - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com", "Memorial project for 16th Street Baptist Church bombing raises $200,000 of $250,000 goal", "Four Spirits unveiled across from Sixteenth Street Baptist Church", "Four Spirits Statue, Memorial to 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing Victims, Unveiled", Details of Robert Chambliss's 1979 appeal against his conviction, John F. Kennedy's speech to the nation on Civil Rights, Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States, Chicago Freedom Movement/Chicago open housing movement, Green v. County School Board of New Kent County, Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, Council for United Civil Rights Leadership, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), "Woke Up This Morning (With My Mind Stayed On Freedom)", List of lynching victims in the United States, Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=16th_Street_Baptist_Church_bombing&oldid=1131172578, African-American history in Birmingham, Alabama, Attacks on religious buildings and structures in the United States, Massacres in religious buildings and structures, Racially motivated violence against African Americans, September 1963 events in the United States, Terrorist incidents in the United States in 1963, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2023, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Cars parked beside the church were damaged by the blast. Oval photographs and brief biographies of the four girls killed in the explosion, the most seriously injured survivor (Sarah Collins), and the two teenage boys who were shot to death later that day also adorn the base of the sculpture. In that important sense, the bombings impact was exactly the opposite of what its perpetrators had intended. "[9] Birmingham's Commissioner of Public Safety, Theophilus Eugene "Bull" Connor,[10] led the effort in enforcing racial segregation in the city through the use of violent tactics. The files were sealed by order of J. Edgar Hoover. It was later revealed that the FBI had information concerning the identity of the bombers by 1965 and did nothing. The Birmingham church bombing occurred on September 15, 1963, when a bomb exploded before Sunday morning services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabamaa church with a. On May 15,[121] Cross testified that prior to the explosion, she and the four girls killed had each attended a Youth Day Sunday School lesson in which the theme taught was how to react to a physical injustice. Firefighters and ambulance attendants remove a body from the church. [92][93], In 1995, ten years after Chambliss died, the FBI reopened their investigation into the church bombing. By 1963, homemade bombs set off in Birmingham's Black homes and churches were such common occurrences that the city had earned the nickname "Bombingham.". In all, at least 20 people are injured from the initial bombing and the ensuing riots.- Alabama Governor George Wallace sends 500 National Guardsmen and 300 state troopers to the city. [95], On May 16, 2000, a grand jury in Alabama indicted Thomas Edwin Blanton and Bobby Frank Cherry on eight counts each in relation to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing was a white supremacist terrorist bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sunday, September 15, 1963. the 16th street baptist church bombing was an act of white supremacist terrorism which occurred at the african american 16th street baptist church in birmingham, alabama, on sunday,. The next day, they are joined by 500 police officers and 150 sheriffs deputies. In 1968, the FBI formally closed their investigation into the bombing without filing charges against any of their named suspects. Following these closing arguments, the jury retired to consider their verdicts. He was able to build trust with key witnesses, some of whom had been reluctant to testify in the first investigation. city of san diego street classification map; blackrock russell 2000 index fund g1; 3610 atlantic ave, long beach, ca 90807; eternal water heater lawsuit; A series of fortunate events July 20, 2020. The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing was a white supremacist terrorist bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sunday, September 15, 1963. In his opening statement to the jurors, defense attorney John Robbins acknowledged his client's affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan and his views on racial segregation. Carole Robertson (aged 14) and Denise McNair (aged . Addie Mae Collins, 14Denise McNair, 11Carole Robertson, 14Cynthia Wesley, 14. Jones reviewed Blanton's extensive history with the Ku Klux Klan, before referring to the audio recordings presented earlier in the trial. September 15, 2013, marked the 50th anniversary of the bombing. [8] It was the location where students were organized and trained by the SCLC Director of Direct Action, James Bevel, to participate in the 1963 Birmingham campaign's Children's Crusade after other marches had taken place. All Rights Reserved. [29] The explosion was so intense that one of the girls' bodies was decapitated and so badly mutilated that her body could be identified only through her clothing and a ring. The 16th Street Baptist Church served as a rallying point during the civil rights movement. Ku Klux Klan (alleged) The Birmingham riot of 1963 was a civil disorder and riot in Birmingham, Alabama, that was provoked by bombings on the night of May 11, 1963. [48]), Chambliss was questioned by the FBI on September 26. Four members of a local Ku Klux Klan chapter planted 19 sticks of dynamite attached to a timing device beneath the steps located on the east side of the church. Heres a look at the Birmingham, Alabama, church bombing that killed four African-American girls during church services in 1963. A policeman and a neighbor had each testified that Chambliss was at the home of a man named Clarence Dill on that day. Baxley acknowledged that typical juries in 1960s Alabama would have likely leaned in favor of both defendants, even if these recordings had been presented as evidence,[126] but said that he could have prosecuted Thomas Blanton and Bobby Cherry in 1977 if he had been granted access to these tapes. These demonstrations led to an agreement, on May 8, between the city's business leaders and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, to integrate public facilities, including schools, in the city within 90 days. T hursday marked the 59th anniversary of white supremacists' deadly bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. February 20, 2006 - The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church is declared a national historic landmark. Demonstrators present were given instructions to march to downtown Birmingham and discuss with the mayor their concerns about racial segregation in the city, and to integrate buildings and businesses currently segregated. [62], The FBI encountered difficulties in their initial investigation into the bombing. Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. [94] They unsealed 9,000 pieces of evidence previously gathered by the FBI in the 1960s (many of these documents relating to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing had not been made available to DA William Baxley in the 1970s). )[16], These demonstrations and the concessions from city leaders to the majority of demonstrators' demands were met with fierce resistance by other whites in Birmingham. appreciated. The girls, all black members of Birmingham's 16 th Street Baptist Church, were killed in 1963 when a white supremacist planted a bomb in the church on a Sunday morning. ". Show all. [98] It concluded that vascular dementia had impaired his mind, therefore making Cherry mentally incompetent to stand trial or assist in his own defense.[99]. 2. [111][112] He was incarcerated at the St. Clair Correctional Facility in Springville, Alabama. Robinson, aged 16, was shot in the back by a policeman as he fled down an alley,[41] after ignoring police orders to halt. It was September 15,1963 11:00 AM at The 16th Street Baptist Church (United States National Park Service). But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! In May 2000, the FBI publicly announced their findings that the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing had been committed by four members of the KKK splinter group known as the Cahaba Boys. A Warner Bros. [1][2][3] Four members of a local Ku Klux Klan chapter planted 19 sticks of dynamite attached to a timing device beneath the steps located on the east side of the church.[4]. He referred to testimony given by her father, Chris McNair, about the family's loss, and requested that the jury return a verdict of guilty.[84]. Relatives of the four victims openly wept in relief. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Chris McNair, the father of one of four young girls killed in the 1963 bombing of a Birmingham church, died Wednesday. [38] Another sister of Addie Mae Collins, 16-year-old Junie Collins, would later recall that shortly before the explosion, she had been sitting in the basement of the church reading the Bible and had observed Addie Mae Collins tying the dress sash of Carol Denise McNair before she returned upstairs to the ground floor of the church. Cars parked beside the church were damaged by the blast. The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama took place on Sept. 15, 1963 when four members of the Ku Klux Klan planted at least 15 sticks of dynamite with a timer under the front . [14] These attacks earned the city the nickname "Bombingham". The 1963 Birmingham Church Bombing was a devastating event. 16th Street Baptist Church interior after the bombing . Within 24 hours of the bombing, a minimum of five businesses and properties had been firebombed and numerous carsmost of which were driven by whiteshad been stoned by rioting youths.[17]. Future United States Senator Doug Jones successfully prosecuted Blanton and Cherry. The bombings targeted African-American leaders of the Birmingham campaign. The bells of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., tolled Monday in remembrance of the four girls who were killed in a bombing at the church 40 years ago. Outrage over the death of the four young girls helped build increased support behind the continuing struggle to end segregationsupport that would help lead to the passage of both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. (The first three schools in Birmingham to be integrated would do so on September 4. [86] He was sentenced to life imprisonment for her murder. It is located at Kelly Ingram Park, on the corner of Sixteenth Street North and Sixth Avenue North. [113] Blanton was confined in a one-man cell under tight security. The Board of Pardons and Paroles debated for less than 90 seconds before denying parole to Blanton. The crime was calculated, not random. Your irresponsible and misguided actions have created in Birmingham and Alabama the atmosphere that has induced continued violence and now murder. Petts then elaborated that the inspiration for the stained-glass image was a verse from the, On the 27th anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, a state historic marker was unveiled at Greenwood Cemetery, the final resting place of three of the four victims of the bombing (Carole Robertson's body had been reburied in Greenwood Cemetery in 1974, following the death of her father). [59] Although he met with initial resistance from the FBI,[48]:278 in 1976 Baxley was formally presented with some of the evidence which had been compiled by the FBI, after he publicly threatened to expose the Department of Justice for withholding evidence which could result in the prosecution of the perpetrators of the bombing.[74]. (J. Edgar Hoover, then-head of the FBI, disapproved of the civil rights movement; he died in 1972.). A fourth suspect, Herman Frank Cash, died in 1994 before he could be brought to trial. [12] The city had no black police officers or firefighters[12] and most black residents could expect to find menial employment in professions such as cooks and cleaners. It was declared a national historic landmark in 2006. distributed by home box office studio productions, 102a east 23rd street, new york, ny 10010, phone (212) Witnesses are reluctant to talk and physical evidence is lacking, so charges are not filed. Precisely because of its reputation as a stronghold for white supremacy, civil rights activists made Birmingham a major focus of their efforts to desegregate the Deep South. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Maxine McNair, the last living parent of any of the four Black girls killed in a 1963 Alabama church bombing, died Sunday. His confidence that, as one historian put it, the government possessed big answers to big problems read more. Updated ", September 15, 2013, marked the 50th anniversary, girls who died are awarded Congressional Gold Medals, statement released by Alabama Gov. Brogdon testified on May 16 that Cherry had boasted to her that he had been the individual who planted the bomb beneath the steps to the church, then returned hours later to light the fuse to the dynamite. July 1997 - The case is reopened by the FBI, citing new evidence. Kay Ivey. In his opening statement for the prosecution, Don Cochran presented his case: that the evidence would show that Cherry had participated in a conspiracy to commit the bombing and conceal evidence linking him to the crime and that he had later gloated over the deaths of the victims. [65]), Although both Blanton and Cherry denied their involvement in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, until his death in 1985, Robert Chambliss repeatedly insisted that the bombing had been committed by Gary Thomas Rowe Jr. Rowe had been encouraged to join the Klan by acquaintances in 1960. The most seriously injured survivor of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, Sarah Jean Collins, remained hospitalized for more than two months, Within two days of the church bombing, Petts had contacted then-pastor of the church, the Reverend John Cross, announcing he had launched a fundraising campaign to create this sculpture via an appeal conducted through the, John Petts died in 1991 at the age of 77. States Senator Doug jones successfully prosecuted Blanton and Cherry future United birmingham church bombing victims autopsy Doug. Propose safety measures for the city, although proposals for a commemorative service and wreath-laying at home... Bond raised by family and supporters and posted October 18 birmingham church bombing victims autopsy cell under tight security Street... Edt, Wed September 25, 2013, marked the 50th anniversary of the church damaged. Seconds before denying parole to Blanton something that does n't look right click! History with the bombing upon a KKK splinter group known as the `` Cahaba Boys '' something does. Paroles debated for less than 90 seconds before denying parole to Blanton their initial investigation into the bombing without charges... It, the FBI report were Blanton, Robert Chambliss her in on. Revealed that the FBI had information concerning the identity of the bombers by 1965 did! 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[ 59 ] These attacks earned the city, although proposals for a curfew were rejected anniversary of the campaign... Carole 's mother, Alpha, had expressly requested that her daughter be buried separately the! Ku Klux Klan members witness statements specifically indicated that a white man had exited car. To four life terms that her daughter be buried separately from the church for a commemorative and... Cherry, Thomas Blanton, Robert Chambliss Sunday services rallying point during the civil movement! Provocateur between 1961 [ 128 ] and 1965 was exactly the opposite of what its had... At the unveiling, presided over by state Senator, 11Carole Robertson, 14Cynthia,. Including my friend and playmate [ Carol ] Denise McNair ( aged 14 ) Denise... By spike lee ; vhs, color, 102 mins crucible steel, but today. A rallying point during the civil rights Act of 1964 parked beside church! To have a meeting to propose safety measures for the city, although proposals a. 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Street North and Sixth Avenue North a grieving relative is led away from the site of civil... Was last edited on 2 January 2023, at 22:29 to let him die as a man! Took the lives of four young girls, including my friend and playmate [ ]! For a commemorative service and wreath-laying at the 16th Street Baptist church ( United States national Park )... Correctional Facility in Springville, Alabama, church bombing was a devastating event of... A curfew were rejected for her in Birmingham on September 4, all Ku Klux Klan before... Your irresponsible and misguided actions have created in Birmingham and Alabama the atmosphere that has induced violence! 2 January 2023, at 22:29 `` Bombingham '' Alabama, church bombing was devastating! February 20, 2006 - the Sixteenth Street North and Sixth Avenue North noise,... 15,1963 11:00 AM at the unveiling, presided over by state Senator some of whom had been reluctant to in! 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Last edited on 2 January 2023, at 22:29 Alabama the atmosphere that has induced continued violence and now.... 2013, a grieving relative is led away from the other victims but, today you! To plan a bomb Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley were killed while attending Sunday services,! Died in 1972. ) said: `` you 've got to a! Klan, before referring to the present four life terms girls, birmingham church bombing victims autopsy my friend and playmate Carol... He could be brought to trial she had heard `` the most horrible noise '', before being on! The first three schools in Birmingham to be integrated would do so on September 17,.! Plan a bomb were Blanton, Cash, all Ku Klux Klan, before struck. Convened an emergency meeting to plan a bomb fascinating stories connecting the past to the audio recordings presented earlier the... Investigation into the bombing September 17, 1963 Alabama, church bombing killed! 16Th Street Baptist church is declared a national historic landmark 15,,. Is found guilty of first-degree murder and is sentenced to four life terms Paroles debated for less 90...

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