Byron De La Beckwith
| Byron De La Beckwith | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
November 9, 1920 Colusa, California, U.S. |
| Died | January 21, 2001 (aged 80) University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Salesman |
| Known for | The assassination of Medgar Evers |
| Spouse(s) |
Mary Louise Williams (m. 1946–60) Thelma Neff (m. 1982–2001) (his death) |
Byron De La Beckwith, Jr. (November 9, 1920 – January 21, 2001) was an American white supremacist and Klansman from Greenwood, Mississippi, who in 1994 was convicted of assassinating civil rights leader Medgar Evers on June 12, 1963. Two previous trials in 1964 on this charge had resulted in hung juries. Seven years after being convicted of killing Evers, De La Beckwith died in prison in 2001 at the age of 80 while serving a life sentence.
De La Beckwith was born in Colusa, California, the son of Susan Southworth Yerger and Byron De La Beckwith, Sr., who was the town's postmaster. His father died of pneumonia when he was five years old. One year later, De La Beckwith and his mother settled in Greenwood, Mississippi, to be near family. His mother died of lung cancer when he was 12 years old, and he was raised by his uncle William Greene Yerger and his wife.
In January 1942, De La Beckwith enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served as a machine gunner in the Pacific theater of World War II. He fought at the Battle of Guadalcanal and was shot in the waist during the Battle of Tarawa. De La Beckwith was honorably discharged in August 1945.
After serving in the Marine Corps, De La Beckwith moved to Providence, Rhode Island, where he married Mary Louise Williams. The couple returned to Mississippi, where they settled in his hometown of Greenwood. They had a son together. De La Beckwith and Williams divorced. He later married Thelma Lindsay Neff.
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