birmingham church bombing victims autopsy

Chelsey Parrott-Sheffer was a research editor at Encyclopdia Britannica. The Robertsons made funeral arrangements before learning that the other families were planning a combined service with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, delivering the eulogy. On November 18, 1977,[87] they found Robert Chambliss guilty of the murder of Carol Denise McNair. [20], One of the key witnesses to testify on behalf of the prosecution was the Reverend Elizabeth Cobbs, Chambliss's niece. [11], The three-story 16th Street Baptist Church was a rallying point for civil rights activities through the spring of 1963. The explosion sprayed mortar and bricks from the front of the building, caved in walls, and filled the interior with smoke, and horrified parishioners quickly evacuated. (Tom Self/ Birmingham News) ORG XMIT: ALBIN, Original caption: Negros weep after 16th Street church bombing. In the film, Lee interviews witnesses to the bombing and family members of the victims while at the same time exploring the backdrop of segregation and white harassment that were central to the time period. (The physical description by witnesses of this person varied, and could have matched either Bobby Cherry or Robert Chambliss. 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. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. [102] In January 2002, Judge Garrett ruled Cherry mentally competent to stand trial and set an initial trial date for April 29. . )[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. AP While the FBI concluded in 1965 that the. [68] Later the same year, J. Edgar Hoover formally blocked any impending federal prosecutions against the suspects,[69] and refused to disclose any evidence his agents had obtained with state or federal prosecutors.[70]. Terms of Use / Privacy Policy / Manage Newsletters, Click (The plastic remnants were later lost by investigators. (J. Edgar Hoover, then-head of the FBI, disapproved of the civil rights movement; he died in 1972.). Original caption: Juanita Jones, center, comforts her sister, Maxine McNair, whose daughter Denise McNair died earlier that day in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing. Nearby buildings are left without glass in windows. As Birmingham took on the appearance of a battle zone, with hundreds of police, troopers and guardsmen patrolling the streets, another black teen, Johnny Robinson, was shot to death by police. It is a sound that I will never forget, that will forever reverberate in my ears. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Current one is: September 15. Killion agreed with Mr. Johnsons suggestion that a bomb could have been tossed from a passing car rather than placed under an exterior stairway, as prosecutors suggested in a previous trial.Mr. Omissions? His famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail was published in the national press, along with shocking images of police brutality against protesters in Birmingham that helped build widespread support for the civil rights cause. Or, continue scrolling for the photos of the historic event. Both the church and the bereaved families received an estimated $23,000 in cash donations from members of the public. 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. At least 14 others are injured in. The bombing occurred on Sept. 15, 1963, a Sunday, at the 16th Street Baptist Church, which had been a center of civil rights activity in Birmingham. Don Cochran disputed this position, arguing that Alabama law provides for "conspiracies to conceal evidence" to be proven by both inference and circumstantial evidence. Brogdon also testified that Cherry had told her of his regret that children had died in the bombing, before adding his satisfaction that they would never reproduce. [61] These witness statements specifically indicated that a white man had exited the car and walked toward the steps of the church. Farrell Griswold, pastor of Minor Heights Baptist, told the crowd. Now the Jury Must Decide", "Bobby Frank Cherry, 74, Klansman in Bombing, Dies", "Gary T. 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This case grew out of the September 15, 1963, bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in which four young black girls were killed and a number of other people injured as a result of the blast which left the church in shambles. 203 Birmingham Church Bombing Premium High Res Photos - Getty Images The bomb that demolished the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church downstairs lounge, shattered the sanctuary's stained-glass windows, hurled large chunks of stone into nearby automobiles and. Also present was Martin Luther King Jr. An unidentified man digs grave for one of the four victims of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, Birmingham, Alabama, late September 1963. The Cahaba Boys had formed earlier in 1963, as they felt that the KKK was becoming restrained and impotent in response to concessions granted to Black people to end racial segregation. [36] She had 21 pieces of glass embedded in her face and was blinded in one eye. Two more young African Americans died, and the National Guard was called in to restore order. (Upon cross-examination by defense attorney Art Hanes Jr., Cantrell conceded that Chambliss had emphatically denied bombing the church. Missing remains of 1963 church bombing victim believed to be found Birmingham Public Library. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Such a lack of evidence isnt unusual in powerful explosions, he said, because bomb components often are destroyed.However, defense attorney Mickey Johnson hammered at the lack of evidence. He was never charged with his alleged involvement in the bombing and did maintain his innocence. The Rev. I told the truth. Throughout the civil rights movement, Birmingham was a major site of protests, marches, and sit-ins that were often met with police brutality and violence from white citizens. He was able to build trust with key witnesses, some of whom had been reluctant to testify in the first investigation. As Church Bombing Trial Begins in Birmingham, the City's Past Is Very Original caption: Alabama-Birmingham-bombings-Body being removed at 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. Victims of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. There had been a history of mistrust between local and federal investigators. Throughout the trial, Cherry's defense attorney, Mickey Johnson, repeatedly observed that many of the prosecution's witnesses were either circumstantial or "inherently unreliable". 16th Street Baptist Church bombing: Photos of the tragedy "This bombing of children was a dastardly act.". Original caption: Alabama-Birmingham-bombings-Body being removed at 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. The Birmingham News. terrorist attack, Birmingham, Alabama, United States [1963]. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke at the funeral of three of the girls. Chris McNair, father of 16th Street Baptist Church bombing victim, dies Governor Wallace offered an additional $5,000 on behalf of the state of Alabama. The Birmingham church bombing shocked the nation during the fight for the Civil Rights. Although this march was met with fierce resistance and criticism, and 600 arrests were made on the first day alone, the Birmingham campaign and its Children's Crusade continued until May 5. The intention was to fill the jail with protesters. Robinson died before reaching the hospital. Reverend Cobbs stated that her uncle had repeatedly informed her he had been engaged in what he referred to as a "one-man battle" against Blacks since the 1940s. here for reprint permission. The Birmingham News reported it was the 41st bombing in the city in the past 16 years. Birmingham "is synonymous to barbarism" and "needs to be protected against itself," said New York City Mayor Robert Wagner. His testimony was restricted to the areas of the recordings permitted into evidence. I don't know why I'm going to jail for nothing. He said that Cherry had signed an affidavit in the presence of the FBI on October 9, 1963, confirming that he, Chambliss, and Blanton were at these premises on this date.[125]. [106] The defense portrayed the audiotapes introduced into evidence as the statements of "two rednecks driving around, drinking" and making false, ego-inflating claims to one another. The service honoring Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley and two young boys killed shortly after the bombing, Johnny Robinson Jr. and Virgil Ware, recognized Birmingham as the center of the Civil Rights movement and emphasized that the march to justice and equality of all people is not over. Relatives of the slain girls, prosecutor Doug Jones, Alabama Chief Deputy Attorney General Alice Martin, and Jefferson County district attorney Brandon Falls each spoke at the hearing to oppose Blanton's parole. Most parishioners were able to evacuate the building as it filled with smoke, but the bodies of four young girls (14-year-old Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley and Carole Robertson and 11-year-old Denise McNair) were found beneath the rubble in a basement restroom. On the afternoon of May 22, after the jury had deliberated for almost seven hours, the forewoman announced they had reached their verdicts: Bobby Frank Cherry was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. "[90][91], On the same afternoon that Chambliss's guilty verdict was announced, prosecutor Baxley issued a subpoena to Thomas Blanton to appear in court about the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. U.S. government destroying the dollars value through inflation. He and two acquaintances, John Hall and Charles Cagle, were each convicted in state court upon a charge of illegally possessing and transporting dynamite on October 8. The day following the bombing, a young white lawyer named Charles Morgan Jr. addressed a meeting of businessmen, condemning the acquiescence of white people in Birmingham toward the oppression of Blacks. A day after the tragedy, President Kennedy spoke of his "outrage" and "grief" at the Birmingham church bombing. Crucial testimony at Cherry's trial was delivered by his former wife, Willadean Brogdon, who had married Cherry in 1970. Birmingham Bombing Anniversary Photos: 16th Street Church Then, Now A policeman and a neighbor had each testified that Chambliss was at the home of a man named Clarence Dill on that day. [46] When he spotted Ware and his brother, Sims fired twice, reportedly with his eyes closed. September 15, 1963 - A bomb blast at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, kills four African-American girls during church services. George Wallace, however, repeated his call that the feds buried evidence in bombings because it pointed to "the wrong people" -- meaning civil rights groups. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. The church was used as a meeting-place for civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, and Fred Shuttlesworth, for organizing and educating marchers. 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. Officially, the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing remained unsolved until after William Baxley was elected Attorney General of Alabama in January 1971. "[44] A Milwaukee Sentinel editorial opined, "For the rest of the nation, the Birmingham church bombing should serve to goad the conscience. "[32], The prosecution called a total of seven witnesses to testify in their case against Blanton, including relatives of the victims, John Cross, the former pastor of the 16th Street Baptist Church; an FBI agent named William Fleming, and Mitchell Burns, a former Klansman who had become a paid FBI informant. That same day, news reports described the federal hunt for the bombers as rivaling the search for John Dillinger. She spoke with News4's Molette Green about her fight for. Today marks the 55th anniversary of the tragedy. Photos: 1963 Birmingham church bombing | CNN [50]:272, The service for Carole Rosamond Robertson was held at St. John's African Methodist Episcopal Church. "[17][51], Carole Rosamond Robertson was laid to rest in a private family funeral held on September 17, 1963. Addie Mae Collins was one of the four little girls murdered in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing back in 1963. The sole stained-glass window largely undamaged in the explosion depicted Christ leading a group of young children. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [82] Moreover, Cobbs testified on November 16 that, on the day before the bombing, Chambliss had told her that he had in his possession enough dynamite to "flatten half of Birmingham". 16th Street Baptist Church interior after the bombing . Both named individuals were charged with four counts of first-degree murder, and four counts of universal malice. Through these rulings, Mitchell Burns was called to testify on behalf of the prosecution. Blanton's attorneys criticized the validity and quality of the 16 tape recordings introduced as evidence,[105] arguing that the prosecution had edited and spliced the sections of the audio recording that were secretly obtained within Blanton's kitchen, reducing the entirety of the tape by 26 minutes. Several dozen people were present at the unveiling, presided over by state Senator. According to Vann's later testimony, Chambliss was standing "looking down toward the church, like a firebug watching his fire". Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. Every last one of us is condemned for that crime and the bombing before it and a decade ago. [126], Following the convictions of Blanton and Cherry, Alabama's former Attorney General, William Baxley, expressed his frustration that he had never been informed of the existence of the FBI audio recordings before they were introduced in the 2001 and 2002 trials. [127], When asked by the judge whether he had anything to say before sentence was imposed, Cherry motioned to the prosecutors and stated: "This whole bunch lied through this thing [the trial]. May 10, 2019 at 11:37 p.m. EDT. She died Sunday at 93. He had repeatedly proclaimed his innocence, insisting Gary Thomas Rowe Jr. was the actual perpetrator. One week before the bombing, Wallace granted an interview with The New York Times, in which he said he believed Alabama needed a "few first-class funerals" to stop racial integration. [107], The trial lasted for one week. All Rights Reserved. Mr. Cherry, a 71-year-old retired truck driver, is accused of being part of a group of Klansmen who planted a bomb outside the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, a rallying place for civil rights. Future United States Senator Doug Jones successfully prosecuted Blanton and Cherry. Cherry's defense attorney, Mickey Johnson, protested his client's innocence, citing that much of the evidence presented was circumstantial. Cross said he believed the violence could have been prevented if civic leaders had spoken out forcefully against the bombings across Birmingham in recent years. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Birmingham church bombing set Lisa McNair on a path of love and unity [48]:386 On September 29, he was indicted upon charges of illegally purchasing and transporting dynamite on September 4, 1963. Pictured here are Johnny Robinson (left), 16, and Virgil Ware, 13. The bomb injured at least 20 people and killed four young girls: Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Carol Denise McNair. Bobby Frank Cherry was tried in Birmingham, Alabama, before Judge James Garrett, on May 6, 2002. In that important sense, the bombings impact was exactly the opposite of what its perpetrators had intended. Following these closing arguments, the jury retired to consider their verdicts. The force crumbled a stone-and-masonry wall 30 inches thick and left a crater more than 2 feet deep.Retired FBI bomb specialist Charles Killion testified that agents never determined what kind of explosive was used or how the bomb was triggered. People everywhere died.". Even though the legal system was slow to provide justice, the effect of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church was immediate and significant. She is the daughter of the Reverend John Cross and was aged 13 in 1963. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [11] The work these Civil Rights activists were engaged in within Birmingham was crucial to the movement as the Birmingham campaign was seen as guidance for other cities in the South with regards to rising against segregation and racism. Shortly thereafter, she had heard "the most horrible noise", before being struck on the head by debris. Maxine McNair died on Sunday, Birmingham Mayor Randall . Alabama's governor apologizes to Sarah Collins Rudolph - CNN Fifty-seven years after the Klan bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., murdering four Black girls and stunning the nation, a victim of the notorious hate crime sought a public . (Tom Self/ Birmingham News), Original caption: Destruction is seen in the immediate aftermath of the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., Sunday, Sept. 15, 1963. I haven't done anything! The call was answered by the acting Sunday School secretary, a 14-year-old girl named Carolyn Maull. (Charles Nesbitt/Birmingham News/AP) Until she. Herman Frank Cash died of cancer in February 1994. [46][48]), Some civil rights activists blamed George Wallace, Governor of Alabama and an outspoken segregationist, for creating the climate that had led to the killings. 1963 Four Black schoolgirls killed in Birmingham church bombing On September 15, 1963, a bomb explodes during Sunday morning services in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham,. [12] Black residents did not just experience segregation in the context of leisure and employment, but also in the context of their freedom and well-being. Denise, was among four girls killed in the bombing at 16th Street Baptist Church nearly 60 years ago. The last convicted bomber in the 1963 Birmingham church bombing that killed four young African American girls has died in prison, nearly 60 years after the terror attack targeted the US civil. He said the blast shredded the girls bodies.Some members of the jury looked down and grimaced as Mr. Brissie used a large screen to display black-and-white photographs of the bodies.Defendant Bobby Frank Cherry also turned his head away from the photos, which werent visible to a gallery that included several of the victims relatives sitting in the front row.Mr. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Jackson testified that Chambliss had expressed frustration that the Klan was "dragging its feet" on the issue of racial integration,[18] and said he was eager to form a splinter group more dedicated to resistance. [61] Although he met with initial resistance from the FBI,[50]: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.[76]. On May 21, 2002, both prosecution and defense attorneys delivered their closing arguments to the jury. [30] Another victim was killed by a piece of mortar embedded in her skull. Following the closing arguments, the jury retired to begin their deliberations, which lasted for over six hours and continued into the following day. Another 22 people were injured in the explosion. In attendance were 1,600 people. Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. was brought to trial in Birmingham, Alabama, before Judge James Garrett on April 24, 2001. [126] Cherry remained stoic as the sentence was read aloud. A 16-year-old white youth named Larry Sims fired the gun (given to him by another youth named Michael Farley) at Ware, who was sitting on the handlebars of a bicycle ridden by his brother. [33], Between 14 and 22 additional people were injured in the explosion,[34][35] one of whom was Addie Mae's younger sister, 12-year-old Sarah Collins. The last living parent of one of the four children killed in the terrorist bombing of an African American church in 1963 has died at 93. Original caption: Bystanders react to the destruction in the immediate aftermath of the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., Sunday, Sept. 15, 1963. [99]:162, The state prosecution had originally intended to try both defendants together; however, the trial of Bobby Cherry was delayed due to the findings of a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation. 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. It was later revealed that the FBI had information concerning the identity of the bombers by 1965 and did nothing. Baxley also gathered evidence proving Chambliss had purchased dynamite from a store in Jefferson County less than two weeks before the bomb was planted,[74] upon the pretext the dynamite was to be used to clear land the KKK had purchased near Highway 101. "[65], On May 13, 1965, local investigators and the FBI formally named Blanton, Cash, Chambliss, and Cherry as the perpetrators of the bombing, with Robert Chambliss the likely ringleader of the four. Birmingham pub bombings: Who were the victims? - BBC News [99]:ch. Cochran also added that although the evidence to be presented would not conclusively show that Cherry had personally planted or ignited the bomb, the combined evidence would illustrate that he had aided and abetted in the commission of the act. Martin Luther King Jr. described Birmingham as "probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States.
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