![]() ![]() If convicted, each could be sentenced to life in prison. It reads: While serving a life sentence, Thomas Edwin Blanton, Jr., the last surviving 16th Street Baptist Church bomber, has passed away from. ![]() (AP) Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr., the last of three one-time Ku Klux Klansmen convicted in a 1963 Alabama church bombing that killed four Black girls and was the deadliest single attack of the civil rights movement, died Friday in prison, officials said. Relatives of three of the slain girls spoke against Blanton’s release during the hearing. The bombing was a tipping point of the civil rights movement. The two men have been charged with eight counts of murder - two counts for each of the four girls. Ivey released a statement on Blanton’s death. The decision to keep Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr., 78, imprisoned was met with applause. "He wants the world to know his story, and he thinks he'll be vindicated", the lawyer said. Mickey Johnson, acting for Mr Cherry said his client is in ill health. The men's lawyers are still saying they were not involved. The explosion demolished an outside wall of the church and killed the girls, who were in the basement. The church bombing came just months after police in Birmingham used dogs and fire hoses to drive back black marchers. "We must not rest until all those responsible for this horrific crime are held accountable for what they have done." attorney who prosecuted Blanton on the state charge, said Blanton. "To this day, the deaths of Denise McNair, Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley stand out as a powerful symbol of the terrible toll of racial hatred," Mr Clinton said on Thursday. The board rejected parole for Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr., 78. ![]() Kay Ivey’s office said Blanton died of natural causes. President Bill Clinton applauded the arrests. (AP) Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr., the last of three one-time Ku Klux Klansmen convicted in a 1963 Alabama church bombing that killed four Black girls and was the deadliest single attack of the civil rights movement, died Friday in prison, officials said. But US attorney Doug Jones would not say what led to a break in the case. ![]()
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