The Murder of Emmett Till; Justice Department reopening 50-year-old case

 

• 14-year-old Black boy was tortured and murdered in Mississippi for whistling at a white woman

For many of you, the name Emmett Till may not sound familiar. But what happened to him in 1955 stunned the nation. Emmett Till was a young black boy who was murdered in Mississippi for whistling at a white woman. And his death was a spark that ignited the civil rights movement in America. Two white men were put on trial for killing him, but in spite of strong evidence against them, they were acquitted in about an hour by an all-white jury. Why are we telling you this now? Because this past spring, the US Justice Department opened a new investigation based on evidence suggesting that more than a dozen people may have been involved in the murder of Emmett Till and that at least five of them are still alive. Those five could face criminal prosecution. And before we tell you about them, let us tell you what happened to Emmett Till. [CBS Transcript here]