Bobby Frank Cherry
| Bobby Frank Cherry | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 20, 1930 Mineral Springs, Clanton, Alabama |
| Died | November 18, 2004 (aged 74) Kilby Correctional Facility Montgomery County, Alabama |
| Resting place | Payne Springs Cemetery Payne Springs, Henderson County, Texas |
| Occupation | Truck driver, welder, business owner |
| Known for | Participant in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing |
| Criminal charge | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
| Criminal status | Deceased |
| Motive | White supremacy |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
| Partner(s) | |
Bobby Frank Cherry (June 20, 1930 – November 18, 2004) was an American white supremacist and Klansman who was convicted of murder in 2002 for his role in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963. The bombing killed four young African-American girls (Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, Addie Mae Collins, and Denise McNair) and injured more than 20 other people.
Bobby Frank Cherry was born on June 20, 1930 in Mineral Springs, a neighborhood of Clanton, Alabama. He was born on the same day as Thomas Edwin Blanton, Jr.. He joined the United States Marine Corps as a youth, where he gained expertise in demolitions and working with explosives. After his time with the Marines, Cherry worked a series of low-paying jobs, including a long stint as a truck driver.
Cherry had a wife, Virginia, at the time of the bombing. He and Virginia Cherry had seven children together. Their marriage was tumultuous and, at times, violent. Bobby Cherry expected deference from his wife and children, using beatings to enforce his authority. Virginia Cherry died of cancer in 1968. After her death, Bobby Cherry placed the children in the Gateway Mercy Home Orphanage and with relatives. He eventually remarried four times, including to third wife Willadean Brogdon; Brogdon would later testify at Cherry's trial that he had bragged about his role in the church bombing.
Cherry left Birmingham in the early 1970s and moved to the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. He found work as a welder and owned a carpet cleaner business in Grand Prairie. In 1988, Cherry suffered a heart attack and moved again, this time to small-town Henderson County, Texas with fifth wife Myrtle.
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