Defense Rests After Beckwith Doesn’t Testify

Byron De La Beckwith, the segregationist who spoke in his own defense during two 1964 trials on charges that he killed Medgar Evers, declined to testify Thursday at his third trial.

With that, the defense rested, its hopes for acquittal resting largely on the testimony of the one live witness, a former police officer who was able to place Beckwith 90 miles from the scene where the civil rights leader was assassinated.

After a day of maneuvering by defense lawyers, the 73-year-old suspect stood before Judge L. Breland Hilburn and said he would not take the witness stand.

After one final prosecution witness testified, Hilburn sent jurors back to their hotel and said they would begin deliberations today.

Beckwith’s first two trials ended in hung juries. The case was reopened when prosecutors found new witnesses who said they heard Beckwith admit to killing Evers in the years after his first trials.