MISSISSIPPI 1963: Cold Case “Solved” After 31 Years — Who Killed Medgar Evers?

Medgar Evers came home after midnight carrying a stack of “Jim Crow Must Go” shirts. He stepped out of his car. He never made it inside. A single rifle shot struck him in the back outside his Jackson, Mississippi home. His wife and three children were still awake inside. The rifle was found nearby. And investigators recovered a fingerprint from the scope. This is the murder of Medgar Evers — one of the most consequential cold cases of the American civil rights era. On June 12, 1963, Evers returned home after an NAACP meeting in Jackson. He was 37 years old, a World War II veteran, husband, father of three, and the NAACP's first field secretary in Mississippi. For years, Evers had organized voter-registration drives, boycotts, demonstrations and campaigns against racial violence and segregation. His work had made him a target. That night, just after midnight, he stepped out of his car and walked toward his home. A gunman was waiting across the street. One shot was fired. Evers collapsed in the driveway. He was taken to the hospital, but his wounds were fatal. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. But the investigation moved quickly. Police found an Enfield rifle hidden nearby. A fingerprint recovered from the scope was eventually matched to Byron De La Beckwith, a white supremacist and segregationist. Beckwith was arrested. The evidence against him was substantial. But identifying a suspect was not the same as securing a conviction. In 1964, Beckwith went to trial. The jury was all-white. It deadlocked. A mistrial. A second trial followed. Again, the jury deadlocked. Another mistrial. Beckwith walked free. For decades, the murder remained unresolved in the eyes of the justice system. But Myrlie Evers refused to let the case disappear. She continued pushing authorities to reopen the investigation and preserved records from the original trials. Then, decades later, investigative reporting uncovered records from the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, revealing connections between the segregationist state apparatus and Beckwith's original defense. The case was reopened. Investigators returned to old evidence. Witnesses were located. Others came forward with accounts of Beckwith bragging about the murder. In 1990, Beckwith was indicted again. Thirty-one years after Medgar Evers was murdered, the case returned to court. On February 5, 1994, Byron De La Beckwith was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. After three decades of failed justice, the courtroom finally produced the verdict that had eluded Mississippi since 1964. But one question remained: Why had it taken 31 years? Was the original failure simply the result of two deadlocked juries? Or had the system itself helped prevent justice from being done? The evidence had existed from the beginning. What changed was the willingness to reopen the case — and the determination of the people who refused to let it disappear. What do you think? Was the biggest mystery the identity of the killer — or why it took three decades to convict him? Comment JUSTICE or COVER-UP below. Subscribe to Chronicle of Crimes for documentaries about cold cases, unsolved murders, civil rights-era crimes, missing-person investigations, and forgotten mysteries. 📌 CASE OVERVIEW Case: Murder of Medgar Evers Location: Jackson, Mississippi, USA Date: June 12, 1963 Victim: Medgar Evers Age: 37 Weapon: 1917 Enfield rifle Suspect: Byron De La Beckwith Initial trials: Two mistrials in 1964 Final conviction: 1994 Sentence: Life in prison Key evidence: Fingerprint, rifle, ballistic evidence and witness testimony Key mystery: Why did it take three decades to secure a conviction? ⚠️ IMPORTANT NOTE This documentary distinguishes established historical evidence, court records, investigative findings, witness accounts and later interpretations. The murder was ultimately prosecuted successfully in 1994, when Byron De La Beckwith was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. This video is intended for educational, documentary and informational purposes. We do not encourage harassment, threats or accusations against individuals connected to historical claims. — REFERENCES — Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) — historical information concerning the Medgar Evers investigation. National Park Service — Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument — historical information concerning Evers, his family, the murder and eventual conviction. National Park Service — “Long-Delayed Justice” — historical account of the Evers murder, original trials and later prosecution. Mississippi civil-rights historical records and surviving court documentation. #MedgarEvers #MedgarEversMurder #TrueCrime #ColdCase #ColdCaseSolved #CivilRights #Mississippi #JacksonMississippi #1963 #TrueCrimeDocumentary #CrimeDocumentary #HistoricalMystery