Mississippi Grand Jury Fails To Indict Carolyn Bryant On Kidnapping & Manslaughter Charges For Her Role In Murder Of Emmett Till

Mississippi Grand Jury Fails To Indict Carolyn Bryant On Kidnapping & Manslaughter Charges For Her Role In Murder Of Emmett Till

It’s been nearly 70 years since Emmett Till was murdered—and he has, once again, been denied justice.

Despite new knowledge of a reported unserved arrest warrant and an unpublished memoir by Carolyn Bryant Donham herself, a grand jury in Mississippi chose not to indict the white woman whose accusations led to the death of 14-year-old Emmett Till all those years ago.

Leflore County District Attorney Dewayne Richardson said it was determined there wasn’t enough evidence to indict Carolyn Bryant Donham — who is now in her 80s — on charges of kidnapping and manslaughter.

Following the verdict, Emmett Till‘s cousin Rev. Wheeler Parker, Jr. said,

“The prosecutor tried his best, and we appreciate his efforts, but he alone cannot undo hundreds of years of anti-Black systems that guaranteed those who killed Emmett Till would go unpunished, to this day.”

He added,

“The fact remains that the people who abducted, tortured, and murdered Emmett did so in plain sight, and our American justice system was and continues to be set up in such a way that they could not be brought to justice for their heinous crimes.”

Wheeler Parker Jr. is the only surviving eyewitness to Emmett‘s kidnapping, making his comments all the more important.

As you may already know, Emmett was killed for allegedly flirting and whistling at Carolyn Bryant Donham (then just Carolyn Bryant) four days earlier. A Chicago native, he was “not prepared for the level of segregation he encountered” while spending time with family in Money, Mississippi.

The tragic event occurred in the early morning hours of August 28, 1955, when Bryant and his brother J.W. Milam went to the house of Emmett‘s great-uncle, Mose Wright. They dragged Emmett into their car — against Mose Wright‘s wishes — and at some point, beat him to death and dumped his body in the Tallahatchie River.

Emmett‘s body was discovered three days later, recognized only by the initialed ring his mother (Mamie Till-Mobley) had handed down to him from his father. Like Bryant, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam were never convicted.

What are your thoughts on the entire situation? Let us know in the comments!

[VIA]