Ex-Cop Pleads Not Guilty In 1964 Murders

Miss. Man, 71, Accused In Deaths Of 2 Black Teens Faces Kidnapping Charges, But No Murder Charge

(CBS/AP)  A reputed Ku Klux Klansman and former sheriff's deputy pleaded not guilty Thursday to kidnapping charges in the deaths of two black hitchhikers, four decades after their decomposed remains were found in the Mississippi River.

James Ford Seale, 71, was one of two white suspects initially arrested in 1964, but the FBI — consumed by a search for three civil rights workers — turned the case over to local authorities. A justice of the peace promptly threw out all charges.

Seale was arrested again Wednesday, seven years after the Justice Department reopened the investigation into the deaths of teenagers Charles Eddie Moore and Henry Hezekiah Dee. He was charged with two counts of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

At his arraignment, Seale was shackled at the ankles and wrists and wore an orange jail jumpsuit, white socks and mismatched flip-flop sandals — one orange, the other yellow — as he appeared before U.S. Magistrate Linda R. Anderson.

Anderson asked Seale if he understood the charges, which carry sentences of up to life in prison.

"Yes, ma'am, I think so," Seale said in a calm voice.

Seale — previously believed to be dead — will spend several days in the Madison County jail outside Jackson. A bond hearing is set for Monday. His court-appointed public defenders say he has cancer.

The indictment alleges that Klansmen took Moore and Dee, both 19, to the Homochitto National Forest in southwestern Mississippi. Seale held a sawed-off shotgun on the men while other Klan members beat them with switches and tree branches, it said.

The teenagers were still alive when they were weighted down and dumped into the Mississippi River, the indictment said.

The second suspect, church deacon and reputed KKK member Charles Marcus Edwards, now 72, was not charged. U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales declined to explain why or to say whether Edwards had agreed to testify against Seale. Sources close to the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity have said Edwards was cooperating with authorities.

"Forty years ago, the system failed," said FBI Director Robert Mueller, who joined Gonzales and siblings of the victims at a news conference in Washington. "We in the FBI have a responsibility to investigate these cold case, civil rights-era murders where evidence still exists to bring both closure and justice to these cases that for many, remain unhealed wounds to this day."

Even with all the FBI investigative material and an alleged confession by Seale, Mississippi never filed charges in the brutal slayings. The district attorney at the time claimed he did not have enough evidence to prosecute the case, CBS News reported.

The case against Seale may not have been possible without the enterprising work of a local reporter for a local newspaper, the Clarion-Ledger, reports CBS News correspondent Randall Pinkston.

Jerry Mitchell managed to find FBI files presumed to have been lost — files that are now key to the government's case.

"What motivates me is the injustice, and these cases are injustice at their height, because not only did these guys get away with murder in some of these cases, but everybody knew they were getting away with murder," said Mitchell.

The break in the 43-year-old case was also the result of the dogged efforts of Moore's older brother, who appeared at the Washington news conference.

Red-eyed but strong-voiced, Thomas Moore, of Colorado Springs, Colo., said the case proved that cases of the civil rights era can still be solved.

"There can be justice — even 42 years later," he said.

Thelma Collins, Dee's sister, told the gathering that she won't be satisfied until the case is concluded. She said cried when she heard about Seale's arrest.

"I thank the Lord that I got to see it," Collins said. "At my age — I'm 70 years old — I did get to see something good come of it."

But, Collins added, "It's not enough."

The arrest marked the latest attempt by prosecutors in the South to close the books on crimes from the civil rights era that went unpunished. In recent years, authorities in Mississippi and Alabama won convictions in the 1963 assassination of NAACP activist Medgar Evers; the 1963 Birmingham, Ala., church bombing that killed four black girls; and the 1964 Philadelphia, Miss., slayings of the three civil rights workers — the case that led to the discovery of Moore's and Dee's bodies.

Seale and Edwards are suspected of kidnapping the pair May 2, 1964, in a Klan crackdown prompted by rumors that black Muslims were planning an armed "insurrection" in rural Franklin County.

For years, Seale's family told reporters that he had died. But in 2005, Thomas Moore and a Canadian documentary filmmaker, David Ridgen, found Seale living a few miles from where the kidnapping took place.

According to FBI interrogators, Edwards admitted he and Seale took the two into the woods for a whipping. Edwards said both men were alive when he left them.

An informant told the FBI that Seale's brother and another Klansman took the unconscious men to the river, lashed their bodies to an engine block and some old railroad tracks, and dumped them from a boat. The other Klansmen and the informant have since died.

The remains of Dee and Moore were discovered two months later near Tallulah, La., during a search of the eastern Louisiana swamps for three civil rights workers who had disappeared from Philadelphia, Miss. The bodies of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner were found in Mississippi a short time later.

[hermit22]

when the dust settles on seales, will the relatives be hauled into court for "obstruction of justice" for having lied for so many years about his being dead and he wasn't?

if someone is 71 or 107, whenever we meet our Maker, we will face justice for the deeds we have done, good or bad.

[adstamp]

I'm glad we've already tried and convicted this man....who need's the court system? I know the family would like answers, but truth is so much time has passed they will never know who did this. If this man was apart of this he is very, very close to answering for his actions...and truth be know God will handle it in the end, and the cancer this man is dying from might be part of the what comes around will go around. But, just because this man was apart of the klan(though wrong) does not make him guilty...

[blackchild4]

After reading some of the comments in this post, all I can say is "GOD" help us all, There is no justice in this world. Justice in "her" blinded state triped and fell into the ocean. Our only hope is for Grace and Mercy to save us.
We came over in different "Boats" but we are all in the same "Boat" now, and we all, White, Black, Red, or Yellow, are all going down together.

[wynker]

typical, kill a black man now pay for it 40 years later only if you are getting ready to die anyway --

[wynker]

typical, kill a black man now pay for it 40 years later only if you are getting ready to die anyway --

[adian1-2009]

Delayed justice is probably more of delay than of justice, but this one is a positive move toward improvement. It may cost more to prosecute this case now than it may have cost forty years ago. However, to advance the idea that financial cost should be taken in mind in deciding to prosecute the case or not would be to ignore concepts of morality and decency. In spite of all the falsities we brag about regarding color-blindness in our society, we remain quite far from true equality. At least all of us should be held to answer on equal footing before the law. Better late than never, even if it comes during Mr. Gonzalez tenure.

[hopkins271]

Sambal,

Your limited knowledge of African-Americans does not constitute the majority. Furthermore, you never knew these men to call them lowly negros. We are a proud generation of people and the reason why your people are here in this country flourishing today.

[nishaboston]

Some of you peoples post is utterly insane. I hope God forgives your evil souls for your ignorant and racist comments.

[sambal-2009]

WHY ? WHY? did it take 42 years? these men are really to croke.THEY HAVE (ALWAYS) cancer. HOW LONG IS LIFE? to them? Why should a white person have to pay for the death of "lowly nergo. Yes, They get arrested at the age of 71 and dieing of cancer. WE SHOULD "ALL" BE SO LUCKY.where a in country a minority goes to prison for life for shop lifting, drug poss., drunk driving. This man is going to get(maybe) Life.then released to die.?????????????WHY?

[brackattack]

well what he did was wrong but it was over 40 yrs ago..why clog up the jails and prisons for those people..when we could use them for Real crimanls like drug dealers or what not.

[tuckerndfw]

as, you are incorrect.

A "racist" discriminates against others based on race.

Further, prior to the mid 1960's and the Civil Rights Act, "coloreds" were not allowed to use public facilities anywhere in the South unless they had facilities marked "Coloreds."

So, if what you claimed was true, that would mean 100% of the people in the South and most of the people in the midwest and west would be considered "anti-social."



The basic economic concept you are attempting to explain with all that gibberish is called "opportunity cost." And, simply means choosing A prevents you from choosing B.

And, is a concept we apply hundreds of times each day, any time we are confronted with a choice.

Your comments indicate a large degree of ignorance on your part.

But, regardless of your gibberish and incorrect assertions, the fact remains the prosecution of Mr. Seale is a waste to time and money.

[rayivey]

Its hard to belive you can convict someone of civil rights crimes from 1964 while OJ can kill white people today and walk free, justice huh ?

[elgraz]

towhomitmayc....you have some anger management issues don't you. you are worse than the KKK in your hatred and should seek some real help.

[elgraz]

Justice will out !!!!! The fate of seale will be sealed soon. What a heinous representative of humans.

[jn122736]

Huskerarmy;

It is next to impossible to fight bias of any sort especially racial bias, with logic. I have read many of your comments in the past and I not only agree with many of your comments, I have also learned from some of them. Thank you.

It costs no more to prosecute a crime committed 40 years ago than one that was committed 6 months ago.

The only determining factor in prosecuting anyone for any crime severe enough not to allow a statute of limitations, should be whether or not there is sufficient evidence, and that, generally, is determined by a grand jury.
Failing to prosecute because of costs or age is nothing short of dereliction of duty.

This case may turn out to be decided by bias. The accused evidently escaped trial due to prejudiced law enforcement officials 40 years ago. He may have been better off if he had stood trial then. He stood a good chance of being acquitted by a white Jury.
Ironically, today, a real bias exists that any white male accused of a crime against a black person 40 years ago is most likely guilty. This bias could very well outweigh the %u201Creasonable doubt factor.

If that turns out to be true it will be a classic case of %u201Cpoetic justice%u201D.

[intn1]

This sounds like something John Grisham would write about.

[aa36042]

towhomitmayc

You sound utterly ridiculous and it is embarrassing to even read your post. You%u2019re a first class example of what the self hating liberals in this country have done%u2026the very fact that you are proud to sound the way you do is a travesty and should be a direct lesson to anyone that believes the reverse racism of the past 20 years has been useful. This is truly disheartening%u2026the sad truth is that you are probably RELATIVELY intelligent%u2026ee gad!

[royallensmith]

If you hate all people of all races, as you say in your own words, then you are not just a racist, you are also anti-social.

Racial segregationists of the 19th and 20th centuries were most likely anti-social as well as there were approximately over 10,000 lynchings in America in the early 20th century. This carnaval of death was obviously driven by persons with serious sociopathic tendencies.

The benefit to society is if the perpretrator is convicted and punished, justice will have been done and social justice benefits all members of a society, not just the victims, and justice is not a concept that is not necessarily subject to monetary measurment.

Cost-benefit theory applies only to project appraisal models in context with general socio-economic theory If it were applied to every living person as you postulate, then about half of the world's population should be cut off from the rest of the world, as they only make about $2.00 a day, but governments, charities, relief agencies etc. . . provide humanitarian monetary and material benefits worth hundred times more than these people produce, so the cost exceeds the benefits. Their circumstances are usually due to poverty, poor education, bad geography, and lack of resources.

[mikelliott]

When told, "we know", "you know", and "God knows", Seale said, "yes", and that's all we really NEED to know from this former law-enforcement officer on the proving of his guilt.

Seale, after escaping justice for so many years, should finally be found guilty and sentenced to the ultimate penalty - death.

Let justice ring.

[towhomitmayc]

i say hang him, assasinate him, or give him the electric chair...He does not deserve to live the rest of his life out...A life for a life. His life needs to be taken just like he took someone elses...to whom it may concern...i ain't got to talk the way you want me to talk, i ain't got to write the way you want me to write...i can have run-on sentences...i can have broken english...i can talk and write the way i want to...you so grammatically smart...put your own punctuation marks in. i can have subject and verb disagreement, i can use ebonics or whatever i choose. Who are you to tell me how to talk and write. I'm suppose to be free... huh...invisible shackle on my feet. White is not right. have you ever thought about who running the country...that's why the country is so mess-up... look who's running it...to kailumegol or whatever...why use big words if you are the only one who knows what they mean...or do you...how would i know...do you expect me to look them all up...(KISS)Keep it simple stupid. whoever believe that he should not be prosecuted should be hung too. i'm racist... because you created this monster...But..Vengence is mine said the LORD...We will get some restitution..one day...i know we will...you ever thought about why so many white people are in a nursing home begging to die....hmmmmmmmm...figure that out with your smart selves...in black terms...did i white that well enough for yall...P.S. i don't need your dam degree to make a living in this world.