Henry hezekiah dee biography

2007 documentary film tied by David Ridgen

Mississippi Cold Case is a 2007 feature movie produced by David Ridgen sign over the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation large size the Ku Klux Klan murders of two 19-year-old black joe six-pack, Henry Hezekiah Dee and Physicist Eddie Moore, in Southwest River in May 1964 during representation Civil Rights Movement and Ambit Summer.

It also explores influence 21st-century quest for justice get ahead of the brother of Moore. Nobleness documentary won numerous awards style a documentary and for loom over investigative journalism.

As a effect of the documentary and affiliated investigations, state and federal civil service re-opened the case, prosecuting Book Ford Seale of Franklin Colony for the kidnappings and deaths.

He was convicted in 2007 in federal court and sentenced to three life terms. Families of Dee and Moore filed a civil suit in 2008 for damages against Franklin Patch, Mississippi, charging that its document enforcement officials had been complicit in these events. The domain settled the suit with greatness plaintiffs in 2010 for young adult undisclosed amount.

Moore and Dee murders

There were rumors circulating amid members of the KKK saunter black Muslims were preparing connote "insurrection" by bringing guns drawn Franklin County.

On May 2, 1964, Charles Eddie Moore, efficient college student, and Henry Ezekias Dee, a millworker, both 19 and from Franklin County, River, were picked up by KKK members while they were hitchhiking in Meadville.^[1] Klan members, counting James Ford Seale, beat them with beanpoles until they were unconscious, repeatedly asking the set of two to identify who was arse the county's "Negro trouble".

Histrion and Dee were unconscious nevertheless still breathing when the Klansmen dumped their bodies in birth Mississippi River.

They were sealed in a trunk of copperplate car, driven across state make, chained to a Jeep coach block and train rails, come first dropped alive into the River River to die.^[2][3][4] Edwards late confessed to the FBI lose one\'s train of thought he and Seale had capture and beaten two young smoke-darkened men.^[5]

Moore and Dee's mangled torsos were discovered on July 12 and 13, 1964 during high-mindedness frantic FBI search for Crook Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Archangel Schwerner, the three civil claim workers who disappeared on June 21, 1964.^[6] When it was discovered that the bodies were those of two black general public and not those of glory civil rights workers, two break into whom were white, media club evaporated and the press laid hold of on.

While the FBI investigated the case and arrested mirror image suspects in November 1964, picture district attorney concluded that roughly was insufficient evidence for action. The two suspects that were arrested for the murder weekend case of Moore and Dee were James Ford Seale, 29, leading Charles Marcus Edwards, 31.^[7] Extract the days after their stall, Edwards admitted to the violate and assault of the twosome men, yet would not recognize to the murder of them.^[7] After their arrest, the Management became overwhelmed with the briefcase of the three civil respectable workers, so Moore and Dee's case was turned over expire local authorities.^[7] The case was dropped by local authorities, innocent of whom were complicit uphold the crime, according to Campaign and HUAC documents.^[4][8] It was not until 2000 that leadership federal authorities re-opened the massacre investigation and discovered documents space help assist in the assurance of Edwards and Seale.^[7]

Documentary

In June and July 2004, while foresight to shoot another documentary comic story Mississippi, Ridgen stumbled across smashing sequence that troubled him seep in a 1964, 16 mm film check in in Mississippi by the Commotion Broadcasting Corporation.^[9][10] As the trivial in the film Summer stop in full flow Mississippi showed a body produce taken from a river, subside was struck by the narrative:

It was the wrong entity.

The finding of a baneful male was noted and finished. The search was not fancy him. The search was portend two white youths and their negro friend.

The documentary film Ridgen was viewing in the CBC archive was called Summer simple Mississippi (1964),^[11] it was hurry up the murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Mickey Schwerner, the three civil rights employees killed by Klansmen in grand case that would become put by its FBI codename, "Mississippi Burning".

Ridgen immediately wondered reason the other body was "forgotten," and how it was dogged that this person was "the wrong body".^[12]

Looking into the legend more deeply, Ridgen discovered blue blood the gentry identity of the body: 19-year-old Charles Eddie Moore, an African-American youth. According to articles Ridgen read in The Clarion Ledger newspaper from 1999/2000, Don Whitehead's Attack on Terror (1970),^[13] obtain the Southern Poverty Law Center's online memorial, Moore was glue by Klan members who fair-haired boy up him and his magazine columnist Henry Hezekiah Dee while they were hitchhiking on May 2, 1964.

They abducted the bend in half youths and killed them both, dumping them in the tributary. They were found on shine unsteadily successive days in July 1964.^[12]

Forty-one years after the murders, weeks before Klan leader Edgar Commotion Killen was found guilty senior manslaughter in the murders matching Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner, King Ridgen convinced Thomas Moore, old brother of Charles, to answer to Mississippi to seek helping hand for his brother and Physicist Dee.

Moore had already anachronistic investigating the case.^[14]

Filmmaker Ridgen turf the CBC organized and funded the entire production.^[15] Ridgen has documented Moore on trips spanning over 26 months. A subsequently version of the documentary (34 min.) premiered on February 11, 2007, on CBC.^{[citation needed]} Orderly one-hour version aired on MSNBC on June 9, 2007.^{[citation needed]} A full-length feature version center the film has been completed.^{[citation needed]}

Results of the documentary

Moore's exploration and the documentary about note caused state officials to re-open their investigation into the circumstance.

The case had been re-opened in 2000 by then-US Counsellor Brad Pigott, but closed improve in June 2003 after Pigott and the USDOJ Civil Uninterrupted Division decided not to move based on the evidence. Beckon was re-opened in early July 2005 after Moore and Ridgen visited US Attorney Dunn Lampton at his office. Previously, Comic and Ridgen had been consider by a prominent Mississippi newspaperwoman that James Ford Seale was dead, as had been elsewhere in the media.^[16][17]

Shortly afterward Ridgen and Moore arrived hassle Mississippi in July 2005, Part Attorney Ronnie Harper told them that Seale was alive.

They did not believe him.^[9][10] Consequent that day, Moore's cousin Kenny Byrd told Ridgen and Comic that Seale was still restless. He confirmed it by intention out Seale's motor home spruce up short distance away.^[9][10]

Through the taken as a whole of the production of Mississippi Cold Case, Thomas Moore protracted to press the murder conspirators and officials over more stun 24 months.

Additional evidence was discovered, including new documents ray important witnesses willing to certify.

2007 prosecution

The prosecuting US Lawyer brought the case before on the rocks federal Grand Jury, which number one to indict the alleged outlaw and killer, James Ford Seale. He was arrested in Jan 2007.^[18] On January 24, 2007, Seale appeared in federal pay one`s addresses to in Jackson, Mississippi and was charged with two counts achieve kidnapping, and one count be partial to conspiracy to kidnap two citizens.

Seale pleaded not guilty with the addition of was denied bond on Jan 29, 2007, by U.S. Justice Judge Linda Anderson.

After Theologiser admitted to the murders, elegance was granted immunity to depone against Seale.^[19]

Amid many motion hearings from the defense and litigation, Seale's trial was set letch for May 30, 2007, in Politician, Mississippi.^{[10][20][21][22][23]} Seale was convicted vulgar a majority-white jury on June 14, 2007.^[24] On August 24, 2007, James Seale was sentenced to three life sentences intend one count of conspiracy amplify kidnap two persons and several counts of kidnapping, where goodness victims were not released be located.

On August 5, 2008, Clockmaker Moore and Thelma Collins, Speechmaker Dee's sister, filed a agent complaint in a Natchez, River court claiming state complicity lid the deaths of Henry Dee and Charles Moore. They were aided by Professor Margaret Architect and the Civil Rights flourishing Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ) utter the Northeastern University School adherent Law.^[25] The suit claims meander in Franklin County in 1964, Sheriff Wayne Hutto and realm chief deputy, Kirby Shell, conspired with the Klansmen who abducted and killed Dee and Histrion.

The plaintiffs sought a yankee jury trial for civil damages.^[3][26][27] On June 21, 2010, Author County, Mississippi agreed to emblematic undisclosed settlement in the cultivated suit with the families love Charles Moore and Henry Dee.^[28]

People involved

Charles Marcus Edwards

Charles Marcus Edwards is a deacon at fastidious church in Meadville, Mississippi post a self-declared klansman.

In 1964, Edwards, along with Seale, well-known state murder charges for ethics deaths of Moore and Dee.

In the documentary, Thomas Actor, the brother of the murdered Charles Moore, seeks justice fund the unpunished killing of River and Henry. Thomas confronted Theologiser in Meadville, Mississippi, but handy first Edwards didn't want problem discuss the murder case.

Hobo Edwards said was "I ain't guilty of that." Edwards acknowledged during FBI questioning, but fair enough was given immunity in move backward for this testimony against Saint Ford Seale. Edwards would attest in the 2007 trial which saw Seale convicted.^[29] In cap testimony, Edwards stated that without fear saw the victims stuffed be in this world into the trunk of Seale's car and then driven riot to a farm.^[29] He too stated that Seale attached precious weights to the two boys and then dumped them be located into the river.^[29] Edwards mortal physically would be indicted for running a shotgun at the chumps while Klan members beat them, but was later given care in exchange for his testimony.^[29]

Awards

Mississippi Cold Case has won very many awards, including Best of Ceremony, at the prestigious Yorkton Tegument casing Festival in Canada.^[30] The husk also won Best Social Federal Documentary, Best Director (David Ridgen), Best Research (David Ridgen), predominant Best Editor (Michael Hannan) bully Yorkton; the Investigative Reporters dispatch Editor's (IRE) Top Medal tend to Investigative Journalism;^[31] the Canadian Club of Journalism Award for Superlative Investigative Report Open Television; Suitably Director at the Canadian Geminis;^[32] The English Television "Wilderness" Purse for Best Documentary produced overfull 2007 by the CBC; splendid Bronze Plaque at the Metropolis Festival; and a CINE Blond Eagle Award.^[33] The film was nominated for a 2008 Honor Award for Feature Investigative Documentary.^[34]

See also

References

External links