User:Merb55

Mark Reiley

Medgar Evers was assassinated while exiting the drivers side door of his car that he had just parked in his driveway. Since Evers was black, he couldn't be taken to the all white hospital just moments away, but to an all black hospital some 30 minutes ride. Evers bled to death. Lee Harvey Oswald] was the FBI's initial suspect, but was quickly ruled out. The evidence began to quickly point to Byran Delabeckwith. He was a Grand Wizard in the Klan, headed the Christian Identity movement. Witnesses saw a car that matched the one Beckwith drove. The rifle that killed Evers was found and Beckwith's thumb print was on it. In the 60's Beckwith had two trials for Evers murder. Both trials had all white jurors, the Governor of Mississippi sat at Beckwiths defense table. Two police officers testified he was playing cards with them on the night of the murder. Beckwith was found not guilty.

Myrlie Evers never gave up on bringing this man to justice. She contacted the D.A.'s office in Jackson Ms., they were not to interested, after all they didn't even have a transcript of the last trials. Ms. Evers however did! She would not mail the transcript but took a flight and handed them to the D.A. personally.

The D.A. discovered that the rifle had been keep by the second judge, the rifle was retrieved and Beckwiths fingerprints were still there.

Mark Reiley was the key prosecution witness in the 3rd and final trial of Byran Delbeckwith for the 1963 assassination of Civil Rights Leader Medgar Evers In February 1994 this F.A.A. Communications Manager was at home due to heavy snow, so he was watching CNN., when he saw Beckwith on the News. Mr. Reiley had worked as a Correctional Officer/EMT at Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana. At the time Beckwith was serving a 5 year sentence for carrying explosives without a permit. His intent was to blow up a New Orleans Synagogue. Beckwith was transferred to the Prison ward at Baton Rouge Charity Hospital. Due to his racist beliefs, he had to be segregated from other inmates. Reiley 19 yrs old at the time was assigned 12 hour a day, 7 days a week shifts to stay and guard Beckwith. The importance of this young guards testimony has been published in three books: "Ghost of Mississippi" "Never to Late"-by Ms.Asst D.A. and "DIXIE-History of the modern south" Jeanie Stewart took the call from Mark Reiley. The phone had been ringing off the hook for weeks now with cranks and complainers and Yankee reporters demanding all kinds of things she wasn't about to write down on those pink message slips that were spilling over her desk. But there was something about Reiley's voice that told her shad had better take this one seriously, copy down the number in Chicago carefully, and see that Crisco got the message right away. It wasn't every day, after all, that someone called saying they had new evidence.

Bobby was still talking to Cynthia just after noon when Ed Peters and Charlie Crisco poked their heads in the doorway. DeLaughter stood up to join them. "Well, should we fly this guy down from Chicago?" Peters asked, smiling, "Or do you think he's hallucinating?"

....The defense attorneys fought long and hard to keep the next witness off the stand. So far the prosecution had produced a motley array of witnesses. Two were FBI informants, one a former Klansman, a woman on xanax, an alcoholic ex-con and a book keeper who had changed her story. Mark Reiley had no negatives. The man who had called the district attorneys from Chicago in the middle of the trial was a stable and upstanding citizen according to the background report gathered by F.B.I. liaison; John Kelley. This surprise witness who had once been a guard in Louisiana, had nothing to gain from his testimony against Beckwith. Reiley was a big,, red-headed Irishman with a trim mustache, aviator glasses, and a colorful tie. His years in Chicago had flattened out his Louisiana accent, but the southern inflections crept back into his voice as he told his story. Ed Peters, who was better at extracting emotional testimony from a witness, handled the direct examination. He urged Reiley to begin at the beginning. Reiley said he came from an abusive, broken home and had been raised by his grandparents. His grandfather died when he was fourteen, leaving an aching gap in his life.

He was just 19 when he was a guard/EMT a the locked hospital ward for Angola inmates, this is when he met Beckwith. "He seemed to give me a lot of attention, " Reiley said. "He knew I was lacking a father-type figure." Beckwith called Reiley; "Youngblood" and had sat with him 12 hours a day, talking to him and trying to indoctrinate him in his peculiar brand of religion. "What did he tell you about black people?" Peters asked. "Black people were the beasts of the field. like animals or fishes. Pale white people were the chosen people to rule over the beasts of the field" If they got out of line, Beckwith had told Reiley, you could "Kill them and not feel guilty about it". The young guard disagreed with Beckwiths views, however he did not tell him this yet. Reiley overheard an argument between the prisoner and a black nurse, whom he wouldn't allow her to touch him, Beckwith had screamed racial slurs at her, soon both of them were screaming at one another. When Mr. Reiley walked into the room to stop Beckwith, Beckwith informed him that if "I could get rid of an uppity nigger like Medgar Evers, I would have no problem with a no-account nigger like her!". (At the time Reiley did not know who Evers was, he did log the incident and report it to his supervisor) Peters asked whether Beckwith had said anything else about Evers. The young man replied that beckwith had wanted to impress him with his power and influence in Mississippi. He'd bragged that if he was lying about his status, he would be serving time for killing Medgar Evers. Reiley started questioning his teachings after Beckwith had given him a book called; "Verbatim", it was the Christian Identities version of the bible. These questions enraged Beckwith. When Reiley informed him that he was not going to join his racist organization, Beckwith shouted; "I I knew all along you were a communist nigger-loving bastard!" This was the last time they ever spoke. Peters asked Reiley whether he had been pressured or paid in any way for his testimony. Reiley replied, he had not. "In fact all you got was a plane ride from Chicago and a sandwich for lunch". "I am still waiting for that sandwich" Reiley said quite seriously. There were chuckles in the courtroom. The judge turned to Reiley and asked him if he would like a sandwich now, Reiley said no thank you. The defense attorney's couldn't score any points off this witness, and he quickly released him from his examination. It wasn't going to get any better then this. Peters and Delaughter make a quick decision. "The State rests," Ed Peters announced.

This is how the media, who had been speculating that there was a star witness, found out it was Reiley. Even Reiley himself was unaware until he heard Peters final statement. Reiley avoided the media, he had come and did what he felt was his duty to do, he sought no attention. While he climbed the stairs back to the District Attorneys Office, FBI Agents, Prosecutors and investigators where all patting him on the back saying what a great job he did. The most important moment for Reiley was when Ms. Myrlie Evers, the widow of Medgar Evers, wrapped her arms around him, crying and thanking him for coming forward.

On February 5th 1994 Byran DeLabeckwith was finally found guilty of the assassination of Megar Evers. Mark Reiley remains in Illinois, whereabouts unknown. He is on various "Hit Lists" by the Klan and Skin heads.