Today is Wednesday, January 6th, 2021.

On this day in 2005, Preacher and Ku Klux Klan leader Edgar Ray Killen was finally arrested for an appalling civil rights-era crime,

the 1964 murder of three voter registration workers

in Mississippi.

Welcome to Today in True Crime, a Spotify original from Parkast.

I'm Vanessa Richardson, and today I'm joined by our guest host Alistair Murden of

superstitions.

Every week, he tells stories illustrating the horror, the weirdness, and the truth behind

these beliefs.

He's here to discuss some of the historical aspects of today's story, while I'll cover

the narrative.

Due to the graphic nature of this killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised.

This episode includes discussions of racism and murder that some people may find offensive.

We advise extreme caution for children under 13.

Hello everyone. I'm looking forward to diving into this historic story. Now let's go back to January 6th,

2005, just weeks before Edgar Ray Killen's 80th birthday. Edgar Ray Killen had lived a long life and a successful one in certain ways.

He had his farm and his sawmill.

He had his preaching and his wife, Betty Joe.

He had the respect of many members of his community.

But behind that respectable facade was a dark secret. For decades, Edgar Ray Killen had been suspected of murder. It had all started

back in the summer of 1964, or Freedom Summer, as civil rights activists called it.

They were running a major initiative to get black voters registered across the American South, which was rife with voter suppression.

...