Mississippi could re-examine 1959 racial killing of teenager

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Today

CORINTH, Miss. (AP) -- Eberlene King remembers her 15-year-old brother as he lay dying, after white teenagers cruised through their black neighborhood in a pickup on Halloween night 1959 and shot him in the face.

"His eyes ... were hanging out," King recalled. "His head was full of pellets."

William Roy Prather died the next morning in their hometown of Corinth, Mississippi, near the Tennessee line.

Eight white teens were charged with murder. Jerry Darnell Glidewell, then 16, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in January 1960 and served less than a year in state prison. Six of the seven others in the truck got a year's probation through youth court, and an 18-year-old walked free.



Read more: https://apnews.com/844ea77052a74faea01fbde71fa194d6

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Mississippi could reopen investigation into 'racist' 1959 Halloween killing of black teen who was allegedly shot in both eyes by a white gang of eight - but only one suspect was jailed

By STEPHANIE HANEY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ASSOCIATED PRESS

PUBLISHED: 10:39 EDT, 21 August 2018 | UPDATED: 13:29 EDT, 21 August 2018

The brutal 1959 killing of a black Mississippi teen stemming from an attack on Halloween night has been referred to the state for potential reopening, a report from the Department of Justice said.

Eight white teens were charged with the murder of William Roy Prather, 15, which included shooting both of his eyes out with a shotgun, but only one served any jail time.

. . .

The letter said the all-white grand jury that indicted Glidewell recommended he be treated with 'leniency.' A news report from January 1960 from the Rome News-Tribune confirms that detail, citing that Judge Raymond T. Jarvis accepted that 'highly unusual' recommendation.

The grand jury recommended that six of the remaining white teens have their cases sent to youth court, and that the one 18-year-old in the group have his case sent to a July 1960 grand jury; investigators found no record indicating any indictment against him.

More:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6082819/Brutal-1959-murder-black-teen-one-person-served-one-year-prison-fresh-look.html

[Hoyt]

1. These old stories of hatred and racism are so sad.

[marble falls]

2. They aren't so old. It still happens.

[Hoyt]

3. You've got a point, but I was 10 at the end of the 50s and remember some of this junk.

At least nowadays, there is usually some prosecution. Well, unless it's the police doing it or some racist claiming he was afraid for his life, so he shot an unarmed man.