Letter/envelope set from the 1964 Freedom Summers Murders participant.
This auction is for a letter from Ku Klux Klan member and triple murder active participant Edgar Ray Killen (1/17/1925 – 1/11/2018). In 1964, Edgar Ray Killen organized the abduction and murder of three civil rights activists in Meridian, Mississippi. He was found not guilty in a 1967 federal trial. The case was reopened in state court in 2004. This time Edgar Ray Killen would be convicted of three counts of manslaughter. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison, 20 years for each victim. Several attempts were made to see Edgar Ray Killen released from custody, all of which ultimately failed. He died in prison on 1/11/2018. He was 92. This case would be the bases for the 1998 Hollywood movie Mississippi Burning.
ITEM DESCRIPTION: The missive is two pages on two sheets, dated 7/3/2010, and signed, "Edgar Ray." Killen has written his name and full return address at the top of the first page. The original mailing envelope is postmarked 7/6/2010. There is an unusual red prison stamp in the front of the envelope that reads: "WARNING" NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LETTER CONTENT. ANY ENCLOSED MONEY ORDERS SHOULD BE REFERRED TO YOUR LOCAL POSTMASTER BEFORE CASHING. MS DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS. The letter and envelope both come inside a protective magazine sleeve with an acid free board and have been stored flat. Message me with any questions you might have. Thanks for having a look-see.