Miss. AG Jim Hood news conference summary: Neshoba murders case

by The Arkansas Delta Peace And Justice Center

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood stated that he and District Attorney Mark Duncan "presented every living, potential defendant to the grand jury for their consideration."

How long did they present evidence on the at least nine other living potential defendants? 5 minutes? 15 minutes? An hour? It could not have been long since it appears the grand jury probably heard evidence for only one day or less. There is substantial evidence on a number of people.

Why is only Edgar Ray Killen being prosecuted?

http://www.ago.state.ms.us/news/index.php?use=jan10-2005

Attorney General Jim Hood briefly answered questions from members of the media regarding the Neshoba County civil rights murders of 1964.

January 10, 2005

On Friday afternoon, January 7, 2005, Attorney General Jim Hood briefly answered questions from members of the media regarding the Neshoba County civil rights murders of 1964. Hood stated that due to the rules of court restricting a prosecutor’s pretrial comment, the question and answer meeting would be his only public comment on the case. In order to accommodate the large number of media requests for comment, Special Assistant Attorneys General Jacob Ray and José Simo provided excerpts of some of General Hood’s comments.

General Hood stated “I can’t comment on the grand jury proceedings or the facts of the case, but I can say that there is no statute of limitations on murder in Mississippi. Having had a first cousin murdered, I know that victims certainly never forget, and neither does the state of Mississippi. As long as I am a prosecutor, I’ll continue to fight for victims, and I’ll never give up on a murder case.” Hood continued, “The victims’ families have a right to at least have their case presented to a grand jury, and I had a duty to present the case. I, and District Attorney Mark Duncan, presented every living, potential defendant to the grand jury for their consideration. Although the grand jury indicted one individual, I urge all potential witnesses, and particularly previous confidential informants in this case, to come forward now and call our office at (601) 359-4381.” (Emphasis added.)

Hood, who tried over 100 jury trials as a district attorney, said that he would personally prosecute the case along with District Attorney Mark Duncan. Hood concluded, “I was two-years-old when this murder occurred, and it has fallen into my lap to handle this case. Twenty years from now, I want my conscience clear that during my time working for the people, I always tried to do the right thing and personally did everything I could to bring criminals to justice. Since I am much more comfortable in the courtroom, than I am in the vortex of this public spectacle that began when I showed up at the grand jury, I, along with District Attorney Mark Duncan, will personally prosecute this case at trial.”