Emmett Till's Death

Emmett's Death

In August 1955, Emmett was visiting family in Missisippi. He went to a store with his cousins, and was talking to them. Mamie Till-Mobley believed Emmett's lisp sounded like a whistle, and that's why Carolyn Bryant, a white woman, thought he was wistling at her. She got her husband, Roy Bryant, and his half brother, John William Milam, came to the house Emmett was staying at with guns and got him out of bed, taking him away

Emmett's body

Emmett's body was found brutally mutilated. His mother said that the body didn't look like that of a human, let alone her son. She was outraged. She demanded an open casket funeral, with Emmett's body open for all to see unedited. The funeral director made some changes anyway, but Emmmett's body was still mutilated for the world to see.

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Trial and Aquittal

Emmett Till's murder trial was an emotional ordeal. The state made sure to use plenty of evidence to try to push on conviction. However, the defendants ended up winning in a miscarrige of justice for a variety of reasons.

1. Carolyn Bryant made absurd claims that Emmett sexually harrased her, grabbing her.

2. The defence argued that the NAACP killed Emmett to get publicity, or Emmett's Mom did it for insurance money

3. The White Citizen's Council told the jurors to "vote the right way"

4. The defence found out that Emmett's dad was killed for rape and murder in Italy, and used a "like father like son" attack

5. All of the jurors were white men

6. The trial was set in the county were Emmett was Tallahatche county, which was a pro-segregation county.