DeLaughter soon fell in love with a nurse named Peggy Lloyd, who he had met at a local ER after having taken one of his children there for a medical emergency. DeLaughter's attorney, Tom Durkin, refused CNN's request to speak to the prosecutor-turned-judge ahead of his incarceration. ", DeLaughter's bravery in seeking justice in the Evers case, Dees said, makes it tough to swallow his more recent failings as a judge. Not really. She left him. DeLaughter served 18 months in prison as a result. Some 25 years after the death of lawyer and civil rights activist Medgar Evers his widow Myrlie Evers decided she had what was needed to bring the suspected murderer Byron De La Beckwith to justice. 2023 www.clarionledger.com. Reiner and Colick focus on their hero, Bobby DeLaughter (pronounced Duh LAUT-ur). We did it. The sentence was imposed by Judge Glen Davidson and is in keeping with the recommendation of his plea agreement. To contact Jerry Mitchell, call (601) 961-7064 or follow @jmitchellnews on Twitter. As Ms. Davis, 55, reminisced about the difficulties of moving the fragile house, now restored to its 1840s splendor and serving as an annex to the inn, her neighbor Bob Chunn, 61, brought up his own, more recent experience. "I learned from writing 'Never Too Late' that, at least for me, writing a memoir requires total immersion into the subject matter, reliving it and the last thing I ever want to do is immerse myself and relive what my family and I went through in my federal case," he said. The rules on presidential pardons go like this: there really aren't any. Merrida Coxwell was one of two lawyers who represented De La Beckwith in the 1994 trial. The only person there was Ed Peters, who told him that he didn't look too happy. "What man can tell me he hasn't lied? Morris Dees, the co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, represented Myrlie Evers, the widow of Medgar Evers -- the NAACP leader who was gunned down in his driveway on June 12, 1963. I know, because I was one of the house movers at the Davises fish fry. ), The news: civil rights leader Charles Evers said he plans to ask Obama to pardon DeLaughter. Still, Douglas Carstens, a lawyer for the group, acknowledged that theres no guarantee that a future ruling wont go the other way, and that moving the house may be the most viable alternative.. But it is Woods who gives Ghosts its demonic fascination, using countless facial tics and gestures twitching his lips, making the nut sign language with a twirling finger to his head to set out a truly despicable and ridiculous embodiment of white supremacist lunacy. The novel centers on a former narcotics agent starting anew in New Orleans only to encounter what he thinks might be the handiwork of a serial killer that he had first encountered in Mississippi. Obviously that didn't happen. Four lawyers gave up their law licenses, and three of those four lawyers went to prison because DeLaughters rulings were corrupted, Slater said. "This is a Shakespearean tragedy in the sense that a person falls from grace due to their own character defects -- in this case, misplaced trust in a friend and, perhaps, some combination of ambition and hubris," said Matt Steffey, a law professor at Mississippi College School of Law. More complicated moves can cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, as in the case of Alexander Hamiltons Federal-era house in Harlem known as the Grange, which the National Park Service plans to relocate to a nearby park, possibly as soon as this spring. They paid $17,000 to have the house moved from a Civil War battlefield. 1 talking about this. Over the last month, CNN spoke with more than a dozen lawyers in Mississippi about DeLaughter's fall from grace. DeLaughter takes the reader back in time and provides accurate information on the Medgar Evers case starting in the early 1960s and continuing through the early 1990s. "It was the first modern-day prosecution of one of these old civil rights-era murders, and it resulted in the prosecution and convictions of a large number later. Thereafter DeLaughter never considered doing anything with his life other than practicing law (Vollers 8). DeLaughter served for a time as president of the Mississippi Prosecutors Association. Like Good Men, Ghosts pivots on the performance of the chief villain, a madman/fascist. Divine Light was purchased for the family of Barney Roy DeLaughter, Jr. Lott telephoned DeLaughter but recommended someone else. DeLaughter attended law school at the University of Mississippi, commonly known as Ole Miss. The move and restoration together are projected to cost $8.4 million. "Quite frankly, I thought he was a very moderate, straight-down-the-line judge," he said. When prosecutors met with Evers' widow, Myrlie, "the hurt was still there, the loss was still there, the lack of justice was still there," he said. No new house could have done all that, and for better or worse, the move itself became part of the long Holly Grove story, illustrating both the vagaries of time and the houses survivability. As he doggedly pursues the case, Bobby loses one wife and gains another. Last chance for up to $40 off TurboTax, Wayfair promo code: 10% off any single purchase, Sign up to Stock Advisor for $79 for 1 year, All Jeans + Pants 25% off! Ghosts resembles Reiners A Few Good Men. But where that fictional account of a military murder investigation took its narrative drive from its source, a Broadway hit by Aaron Sorkin, Ghosts has no real spine. Alec Baldwin employs a skillful Southern accent, a courtly Mississippi politeness and quirky humor to make Bobby a convincing and engaging protagonist, a man of honor battling the same kinds of odds faced by Grishams young lawyers. I dont consider myself a stupid person, but I was stupid, DeLaughter said. ", After Beckwith's conviction on Feb. 5, 1994, she shouted out, "Yay, Medgar, yay! The instrument brought with it a story about its first owner, a slave owner who had freed his slaves to emigrate to Liberia in his will, which inspired a book project that landed me in the Liberian civil war. The house meant nothing to him, Mr. DeLaughter said, but it was real special to his mother, who died. His incarceration began January 4, 2010. DeLaughter is to begin serving his 18-month prison sentence today at a facility in Kentucky. -M-NUva. I pray God will continue to comfort those friends and family members during this time of great loss. co-leadman Dan Colegrove . Beckwith was tried twice, but the juries of white males could not come to verdicts. In 1990, I agreed to take on a decaying house in Red Lick, Miss., called Holly Grove, which had been in a friends family since it was built in 1832. assistant decorator: Mississippi Elizabeth Flaherty . Scruggs is the brother-in-law of former Sen. Trent Lott and is now serving seven years in prison for trying to influence Mississippi judges, including DeLaughter. Evers blasted prosecutors for offering immunity to Ed Peters, DeLaughter's mentor who avoided jail time even though he was the one accepting illicit payments. "We did it. Recommend Barney's obituary to your friends. Some take delight in his downfall; others call it a tragedy that has stained the legal community. Peggy's kids. props Jeffrey DeBell . DeLaughter worked as a criminal and civil defense lawyer for nearly ten years (Dorman 3), but by 1986, DeLaughter wanted to leave the private practice and decided to inquire about working as a prosecuting attorney. "It really drained us financially and physically and emotionally.". He was born to Robert Lee and Annie Louise (Thompson) James. DeLaughter has denied taking any money in the case or that he was improperly influenced. Who Killed Medgar Evers?, Kraft, Beverly Pettigrew. Alec Baldwin employs a skillful Southern accent, a courtly Mississippi politeness and quirky humor to make. Todd Means, a house mover in Mississippi, prepares to transport a home near Gulfport, demonstrating the laborious process. ), "All he (DeLaughter) did was lie," said Evers, to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger's Jerry Mitchell. "I hope that some day justice will be fair and equal. We have the wonderful promise of the resurrection. "I'm tired of what I'm doing," DeLaughter said he replied. The cost of relocation varies, depending on the size of the house, the distance traversed and how much preparation is required. Bobby B. DeLaughter, Never Too Late: A Prosecutors Story of Justice in the Medgar Evers Case, June 4, 2002. Lloyd was a nurse and that she had also been divorced with three sons from her first marriage. He prosecuted and secured the conviction in 1994 of Byron De La Beckwith, charged with the murder of the civil rights leader Medgar Evers on June 12, 1963. The book guides the reader step by step through his quest to bring Beckwith to justice and maintains the interest of the reader with minute details and new information on every page. "Papa," as his grandchildren and great-grandchildren called him, was a member of Oak Forest Baptist Church for fifty years, where he taught Sunday school in the youth department. The movie Ghosts of Mississippi is based on this case. Charles Robert James, also known as Bobby, was born on August 11, 1934 in Hopewell, Virginia. E-mail Interview. Some 25 years after the death of lawyer and civil rights activist Medgar Evers his widow Myrlie Evers decided she had what was needed to bring the suspected murderer Byron De La Beckwith to justice. "There is nothing that I can add that speaks to the reality of the crime more than that.". Wingfield by his classmates (Vollers 8). $200 per post at $10/CPM. He said he had the most fun during that time. DeLaughter, best known for successfully prosecuting Medgar Evers' murderer, is one of them. These days, former Hinds County Circuit Judge Bobby DeLaughter manages a company that finds forgotten buildings, some of them untouched since Hurricane Katrina, and restores them into apartments. I used to be a preservation purist, but after you lose so many buildings, you begin to be more realistic., Even after a major legal victory, like a recent one in California, some preservationists now see house moving as the safest bet. "I just turned 60, but I don't believe God is finished with me yet, so I'm focusing my energy on another love crafting stories which, from all that I've learned, others are finding enthralling. Send flowers, Loading story for Barney Roy DeLaughter, Jr. They married on November 16, 1973 (Whos Who 9), and, their first child, Bobby Burt, was born on December 5, 1978. Weve been here almost a hundred years. set dresser Andrea Mae Fenton . Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Although racial prejudice was strong, his success demonstrates that justice can prevail. I was shocked when my lawyer and I learned that from the prosecutors, because when Ed told me that Scruggs wanted to help me with the federal appointment I was seeking, I told Ed, 'If he wants to help, that's fine. Anyone can read what you share. He never considered a memoir on his latest experiences. Delmar Dennis. dixie claire townsend father dixie claire townsend father. DeLaughter was very active and popular at WHS, where he played varsity football and basketball, joined a high school fraternity, was sports editor of the yearbook and president of the student body. DeLaughter pleaded not guilty on February 12, 2009 to a five-count federal indictment; these charges were linked to the criminal investigation of disgraced tort attorney Richard Scruggs. Looking back with 20/20 hindsight, I should have done so many things with respect to Ed. It stopped being fun in 2008 when Scruggs' former lawyer, Joey Langston, pleaded guilty to his involvement in a scheme to get DeLaughter to rule in Scruggs' favor. On July 30, DeLaughter stepped down as a Hinds County circuit judge and admitted he lied to FBI agents when he said he had two conversations with former Hinds County District Attorney Ed Peters about a pending lawsuit against Scruggs. Bobby DeLaughters career as a lawyer came to an end in 2009 with a federal conviction of obstruction of justice. "If the judiciary can do what he did and escape punishment for it, it would send a disastrous message. Four years later, I moved in. When the measure of the man is that he's dishonest in the end, then you have to wonder why he did anything in the beginning.". HISTORICAL ACCURACY IS DRAMATIC WEAKNESS IN, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Welcome to the new courant.com: Whats changed, FAQs and more, HISTORICAL ACCURACY IS DRAMATIC WEAKNESS IN `GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI, Hartford man sentenced to nine years for string of AT&T store robberies, 99 sheep, 1 goose rescued from Beacon Falls farm due to concerns for animals welfare, TikTok sets new default time limits for minors, Two Palestinians arrested in West Hartford mans killing; third shot dead, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. . All rights reserved. I had never felt anything like that before or since.". He secured an undergraduate degree from Ole Miss in 1975 (majors in history and political science, minor in psychology), and graduated from the Ole Miss Law School in 1977. We live in a transient society, and we just wanted something that feels permanent, said Mr. DeLaughters wife, Peggy. When both the defense and prosecution had rested the trial went to jury. DeLaughters conviction has been somewhat divisive in Mississippi legal circles. Bobby DeLaughter (Baldwin) and his team "Ghosts of Mississippi" Showcases The Fight Against Racial Injustice With my dad, "movie nights" as a kid was a big deal. The man has now been destroyed, politically and economically. "It was tough," he said. It does contain some racial slurs and profanity, due to the factual matter involved. You will achieve a better understanding of the racial problems that were a part of Mississippis past as well as its present. DeLaughter joined the office in May 1987. -Welcome to the Hero/Protagonist wiki! In a hearing, Scruggs' former attorney, Timothy Balducci, testified that Scruggs' team hired Peters, who influenced DeLaughter with the promise of being recommended for a federal judgeship. DeLaughter proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps, and was active in civic affairs. "Certainly, when a judge is put in prison and pleads guilty," Dees said, "it certainly tarnishes his legal and judicial reputation. Mississippi Writers Project "I was tired of being an advocate," he said. I had camped there with my friends in high school in the early 70s, in sleeping bags laid on faded Oriental rugs, and I did not want to see it pass away. An Inside Look at Ukrainian Troops Training to Use Western Tanks, How Chipotle's Stock Price More Than Quadrupled in Five Years, How Repaying Student Loans Is ChangingDramatically. Decatur, Ms. Where Medger Evers was born in 1925. . ", Inside, "I was screaming myself," DeLaughter said. He was a graduate of Jackson Central High School and Hinds Junior College. Prosecutors said DeLaughter actually had dozens of conversations about the lawsuit with Peters, who was working for Scruggs. We hauled most of the components in pickups and on trailers, but the largest beams had to be transported on a hired 18-wheeler rig, which required the bulldozing of a temporary access road. "I was wanting to address and apply law.". Who is Bobby DeLaughter wife? I get people calling all the time asking me to find them one.. He draws Beckwith as a man who thinks he is foxy and cagey, but constantly reveals himself as an ungodly fool. There is nothing that I can add that speaks to the reality of the crime more than that.. Bobby DeLaughter was born February 28, 1954, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, but grew up in the state's capital city of Jackson. Subsequently, this led to a separation in April 1991. DeLaughter, who was sentenced to 18 months, requested to serve his sentence in federal prison in Pensacola or Montgomery so his wife, Peggy, could visit, but the Bureau of Prisons decided he. 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