The U.S. Justice Department has decided to reopen the Emmett Till murder case of 1955 after the “discovery of new information.”
It has been close to 63 years since 14-year-old was kidnapped then battered, shot, and left for dead by the Tallahatchie River in Mississippi. The murder took place after the young Chicagoan boy, who was visiting family, allegedly whistled at a white woman, Carolyn Byrant.
Bryant’s husband Roy Brant and brother-in-law J.W. Milam were trialed for the killing, but were acquitted of all charges after an all white jury found them not guilty. The two men later admitted to the racial violence, but expressed no remorse for their actions, noting that Till should have “stayed in his place.”
During the trial Bryant said that Till touched her as well, but in 2017 recanted her statements. Her confession can be found in “The Blood of Emmett Till” by Timothy B. Tyson.
Till’s death is one of the most gruesome murders of the Jim Crow era. Till’s picture of his disfigured body was spread across numerous newspapers and his mother ordered an open casket funeral, so that attendees could see the severity of her child’s death.
With both murderers deceased it is unclear if any justice can be served.
– Sciler Williams
