Mistrial Called in Mississippi Murder Case
A judge on Tuesday declared a mistrial in the murder case of a businessman accused of taking part in the 1966 slaying of civil rights leader Vernon Dahmer. The judge said the jury improperly heard a key prosecution witness mention a possible Ku Klux Klan-related threat.
Defense attorneys for the businessman, Charles Noble, had sought the mistrial after FBI informant Billy Roy Pitts testified he was being watched last week by a former Klansman and felt threatened because of his testimony.
Noble, 56, is accused of helping a group of Klansmen firebomb Dahmer’s home on Jan. 10, 1966. The black grocer, who was severely burned and later died at a hospital, was targeted because he was accepting poll taxes at his store.
Noble denies that he participated in the firebombing. He was first tried in 1969 on federal conspiracy charges in connection with Dahmer’s killing. That case ended in a mistrial.
The state case was reopened in 1991. Last May, Noble was indicted along with former Klan Imperial Wizard Sam Bowers and Deavours Nix.
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