![]() ![]() ![]() Jones called family members, including Cherry’s ex-wife, for his trial. Jean’s comments indicated she had lied to the FBI. On the recording, which sat in FBI files for 37 years before someone listened to it, Blanton admits to making the bomb. The bomb was placed at the base of the steps, below the lounge, which Jones said took the brunt of the blast.Ī crucial piece of evidence in Jones’ trial of Blanton was a taped conversation between Blanton and his wife Jean. Jones said the blast was so powerful, cars were mangled, windows across the street were blown out and the church’s concrete back steps were obliterated. 15, at 10:22 a.m., five young black girls were in the ladies’ lounge of their church, getting ready for the worship service. delivered his renowned “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C. The next day, civil rights activist Medgar Evers was assassinated in Mississippi. Wallace famously stood in the doorway at the University of Alabama, blocking two black students from enrolling. Board of Education of Topeka, that racial segregation of children in public schools to be unconstitutional. Supreme Court had ruled in 1954, in the case of Brown v. Members of the United Klans of America had been pursuing young people since a federal court ordered Alabama to uphold the integration of public schools. The church itself became the likely target because it advertised a youth worship service on its marquee, he said. “As the Civil Rights Movement grew, so did Klan violence,” Jones said. The 16th Street Baptist Church was a prominent meeting place for civil rights leaders, and the city of Birmingham was volatile. Jones said he built his cases against both men by starting with the church, what he called “the fifth victim.” Blanton remains in state prison Cherry died behind bars in 2004. Herman Cash, the fourth suspect, died in 1994 without being charged.Īcting as a deputy attorney general in Alabama, Jones prosecuted both men in state court, convicting Blanton in 2001 and Cherry in 2002. and Bobby Frank Cherry for their role in the bombings. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama in 1997, he was in a position to file charges against Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. Jones admitted to skipping classes to watch the case.Ĭhambliss, who Jones said was known as “Dynamite Bob,” was sentenced to life in prison. He was a second-year law student at Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law when the suspected ringleader, Robert Chambliss, was put on trial in 1977. ![]() Jones was just a 9-year-old “white kid from Fairfield ” when the bombing occurred. Jones called the recovery efforts “remarkable,” but said much work still needed to be done. Earlier in the day, Jones visited areas of Lee County devastated by tornadoes last month. SGA President Mary Margaret Turton called Jones’ presentation “informative and impactful.”Ī standing room-only crowd filled the auditorium of Broun Hall to hear about the landmark case. Auburn’s student leadership invited Jones to speak on the nationally known case. senator from Alabama was on campus April 24 as part of Capitol on the Plains, a Student Government Association outreach program. Four young black girls were killed in the blast. It is history that he relied on to successfully prosecute two of the four Klansmen suspected of bombing the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham on Sept. Doug Jones gave a history lesson to the Auburn University community this week.
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