PHOTO GALLERY: Looking back at the Emmett Till case
PHOTO GALLERY: Looking back at the Emmett Till case
Officers stands by as black religious leaders from Chicago demonstrate outside the White House in Washington against the murder of 14-year-old Chicagoan boy Emmett Louis Till, on October 24, 1955. (AP Photo)
This undated photo shows African American Emmett L.Till from Chicago, whose battered body, a bullet in his head, and a weight around his neck was pulled from the Tallahatchie River. (AP Photo)
A large crowd gathers outside the Roberts Temple Church of God In Christ in Chicago, Ill., Sept. 6, 1955, as pallbearers carry the casket of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African-American boy who was slain while on a visit to Mississippi. (Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
Roy Bryant, who was accused in the brutal murder of 14-year-old Chicago native Emmett Till, who is black, smiles as he leaves the courthouse in Sumner, Miss., Sept. 22, 1955, after he was found “not guilty” of the killing. He and his half brother were accused in the murder. At left is Tallahatchie County Sheriff H.C. Strider. (AP Photo)
Mamie Mobley, mother of Emmett Till, pauses at her son’s casket at a Chicago funeral home on 1955. The 14-year-old Chicagoan was killed in 1955 after reportedly whistling at a white woman during a visit to his uncle’s house in Mississippi. (Chicago Sun Times via AP)
Mourners pass Emmett Till’s casket in Chicago Sept. 3, 1955. (Chicago Tribune via AP)
Circuit Court Judge Curtis Swango Jr., from Sardis, Miss., sits on Sept. 6, 1955. He was the judge in the trial of half-brothers J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant, who are accused of murdering 14-year-old Chicagoan boy Emmett Louis Till. (AP Photo)
John W. Milam, seated left, relaxes while barber J.J. Taylor lathers the face of Roy Bryant. The shave came just before the half brothers were arraigned in Sumner, Miss., on Sept. 6, 1955, on charges they kidnapped and murdered Emmett Louis Till, a 14-year-old black boy from Chicago. At right, deputy sheriff G. Melton. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick)
J. W. Milam and half-brother Roy Bryant confer with one of their lawyers J.W. Kellum, right, just before pleding innocent, Sept. 6, 1955 in Sumner, Miss. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick)
Carolyn Bryant poses for a photo in 1955. A Justice Department report to Congress says the agency is reinvestigating the 1955 slaying of Emmett Till, a black teenager whose brutal killing in Mississippi after receiving what it calls “new information.” The report doesn’t say what any potential new evidence might be. But it follows the publication of a book which included passages where Donham, then known as Carolyn Bryant and a potential witness at the time, acknowledged lying. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick, File)
Carolyn Bryant rests her head on her husband Roy Bryant’s shoulder after she testified in Emmett Till murder court case in Sumner, Miss., Sept. 22. 1955. Bryant is accused of murdering the 14-year-old Chicago native, who is black, for “wolf-whistling” at his wife. (AP Photo)
Mamie Bradley, mother of Emmett Louis Till, is served with a subpoena to appear as a witness in the trial of two Mississippi men who are accused of murdering her 14-year-old son, in Tallahatchie, Miss., on September 20, 1955. Sheriff H.C. Strider presents the subpoena shortly after Mrs. Bradley arrived at the Tallahatchie County courtroom. (AP Photo)
These 12 men were seated September 20, 1955 in the jury box to hear testimony and decide the fate of Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, who are charged with slaying Emmett Louis Till. Left to right, in front row, are Gus Ramsey, James Toole, E.L. Price, J.A. Shaw, Jr., Ray Tribble, and Ed Devaney. Back row, Travis Thomas, George Holland, Jim Pennington, Davis Newton, Howard Armstrong, and Bishop Matthews. The alternate juror is not pictured. (AP Photo/stf)
Leflore County Deputy Sheriff John Ed Cothran examines the huge cotton gin fan used to weigh down the body of 15-year-old Emmett Till in the Tallahatchie River about 25 miles north of Greenwood, Miss., Sept. 1, 1955. The boy’s body was found yesterday with barbed wire used to tied the body on the weight. Two men are held in connection with the racial killing. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick)
Ring presented as evidence as that taken from the body of Emmett Till at the murder drial in Summer, Miss., September 22, 1955. (AP Photo)
Roy Bryant leans over to kiss his wife September 22, 1955 , in the courtroom after hearing the verdict " not guilty.” He was on trial with his half-brother J. W. Milam, for murder. (AP Photo)
Roy Bryant, right, and his half-brother, J. W. Milam, second from right, walk down the steps of the Leflore County Courthouse in Greenwood, Miss., on Sept. 30, 1955., after being freed on bond, charged in the kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till. (AP Photo)
Mamie Bradley, mother of Emmett Louis Till, a black 14 year old slain in Mississippi, attends a rally in Williams Institutional Christian Methodist Episcopal Church at Seventh Avenue, between 131st and 132nd Streets, New York City, Sept. 25, 1955, at which the verdict of last week’s trial at Sumner, MS was denounced. Mrs. Bradley told the rally that the acquittal of the two men accused of the murder of her son constituted a signal that lynching is now in order. (AP Photo)
Officers stands by as black religious leaders from Chicago demonstrate outside the White House in Washington against the murder of 14-year-old Chicagoan boy Emmett Louis Till, on October 24, 1955. (AP Photo)
Officers stands by as black religious leaders from Chicago demonstrate outside the White House in Washington against the murder of 14-year-old Chicagoan boy Emmett Louis Till, on October 24, 1955. (AP Photo)
This undated photo shows African American Emmett L.Till from Chicago, whose battered body, a bullet in his head, and a weight around his neck was pulled from the Tallahatchie River. (AP Photo)
This undated photo shows African American Emmett L.Till from Chicago, whose battered body, a bullet in his head, and a weight around his neck was pulled from the Tallahatchie River. (AP Photo)
A large crowd gathers outside the Roberts Temple Church of God In Christ in Chicago, Ill., Sept. 6, 1955, as pallbearers carry the casket of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African-American boy who was slain while on a visit to Mississippi. (Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
A large crowd gathers outside the Roberts Temple Church of God In Christ in Chicago, Ill., Sept. 6, 1955, as pallbearers carry the casket of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African-American boy who was slain while on a visit to Mississippi. (Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
Roy Bryant, who was accused in the brutal murder of 14-year-old Chicago native Emmett Till, who is black, smiles as he leaves the courthouse in Sumner, Miss., Sept. 22, 1955, after he was found “not guilty” of the killing. He and his half brother were accused in the murder. At left is Tallahatchie County Sheriff H.C. Strider. (AP Photo)
Roy Bryant, who was accused in the brutal murder of 14-year-old Chicago native Emmett Till, who is black, smiles as he leaves the courthouse in Sumner, Miss., Sept. 22, 1955, after he was found “not guilty” of the killing. He and his half brother were accused in the murder. At left is Tallahatchie County Sheriff H.C. Strider. (AP Photo)
Mamie Mobley, mother of Emmett Till, pauses at her son’s casket at a Chicago funeral home on 1955. The 14-year-old Chicagoan was killed in 1955 after reportedly whistling at a white woman during a visit to his uncle’s house in Mississippi. (Chicago Sun Times via AP)
Mamie Mobley, mother of Emmett Till, pauses at her son’s casket at a Chicago funeral home on 1955. The 14-year-old Chicagoan was killed in 1955 after reportedly whistling at a white woman during a visit to his uncle’s house in Mississippi. (Chicago Sun Times via AP)
Mourners pass Emmett Till’s casket in Chicago Sept. 3, 1955. (Chicago Tribune via AP)
Mourners pass Emmett Till’s casket in Chicago Sept. 3, 1955. (Chicago Tribune via AP)
Circuit Court Judge Curtis Swango Jr., from Sardis, Miss., sits on Sept. 6, 1955. He was the judge in the trial of half-brothers J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant, who are accused of murdering 14-year-old Chicagoan boy Emmett Louis Till. (AP Photo)
Circuit Court Judge Curtis Swango Jr., from Sardis, Miss., sits on Sept. 6, 1955. He was the judge in the trial of half-brothers J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant, who are accused of murdering 14-year-old Chicagoan boy Emmett Louis Till. (AP Photo)
John W. Milam, seated left, relaxes while barber J.J. Taylor lathers the face of Roy Bryant. The shave came just before the half brothers were arraigned in Sumner, Miss., on Sept. 6, 1955, on charges they kidnapped and murdered Emmett Louis Till, a 14-year-old black boy from Chicago. At right, deputy sheriff G. Melton. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick)
John W. Milam, seated left, relaxes while barber J.J. Taylor lathers the face of Roy Bryant. The shave came just before the half brothers were arraigned in Sumner, Miss., on Sept. 6, 1955, on charges they kidnapped and murdered Emmett Louis Till, a 14-year-old black boy from Chicago. At right, deputy sheriff G. Melton. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick)
J. W. Milam and half-brother Roy Bryant confer with one of their lawyers J.W. Kellum, right, just before pleding innocent, Sept. 6, 1955 in Sumner, Miss. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick)
J. W. Milam and half-brother Roy Bryant confer with one of their lawyers J.W. Kellum, right, just before pleding innocent, Sept. 6, 1955 in Sumner, Miss. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick)
Carolyn Bryant poses for a photo in 1955. A Justice Department report to Congress says the agency is reinvestigating the 1955 slaying of Emmett Till, a black teenager whose brutal killing in Mississippi after receiving what it calls “new information.” The report doesn’t say what any potential new evidence might be. But it follows the publication of a book which included passages where Donham, then known as Carolyn Bryant and a potential witness at the time, acknowledged lying. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick, File)
Carolyn Bryant poses for a photo in 1955. A Justice Department report to Congress says the agency is reinvestigating the 1955 slaying of Emmett Till, a black teenager whose brutal killing in Mississippi after receiving what it calls “new information.” The report doesn’t say what any potential new evidence might be. But it follows the publication of a book which included passages where Donham, then known as Carolyn Bryant and a potential witness at the time, acknowledged lying. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick, File)
Carolyn Bryant rests her head on her husband Roy Bryant’s shoulder after she testified in Emmett Till murder court case in Sumner, Miss., Sept. 22. 1955. Bryant is accused of murdering the 14-year-old Chicago native, who is black, for “wolf-whistling” at his wife. (AP Photo)
Carolyn Bryant rests her head on her husband Roy Bryant’s shoulder after she testified in Emmett Till murder court case in Sumner, Miss., Sept. 22. 1955. Bryant is accused of murdering the 14-year-old Chicago native, who is black, for “wolf-whistling” at his wife. (AP Photo)
Mamie Bradley, mother of Emmett Louis Till, is served with a subpoena to appear as a witness in the trial of two Mississippi men who are accused of murdering her 14-year-old son, in Tallahatchie, Miss., on September 20, 1955. Sheriff H.C. Strider presents the subpoena shortly after Mrs. Bradley arrived at the Tallahatchie County courtroom. (AP Photo)
Mamie Bradley, mother of Emmett Louis Till, is served with a subpoena to appear as a witness in the trial of two Mississippi men who are accused of murdering her 14-year-old son, in Tallahatchie, Miss., on September 20, 1955. Sheriff H.C. Strider presents the subpoena shortly after Mrs. Bradley arrived at the Tallahatchie County courtroom. (AP Photo)
These 12 men were seated September 20, 1955 in the jury box to hear testimony and decide the fate of Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, who are charged with slaying Emmett Louis Till. Left to right, in front row, are Gus Ramsey, James Toole, E.L. Price, J.A. Shaw, Jr., Ray Tribble, and Ed Devaney. Back row, Travis Thomas, George Holland, Jim Pennington, Davis Newton, Howard Armstrong, and Bishop Matthews. The alternate juror is not pictured. (AP Photo/stf)
These 12 men were seated September 20, 1955 in the jury box to hear testimony and decide the fate of Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, who are charged with slaying Emmett Louis Till. Left to right, in front row, are Gus Ramsey, James Toole, E.L. Price, J.A. Shaw, Jr., Ray Tribble, and Ed Devaney. Back row, Travis Thomas, George Holland, Jim Pennington, Davis Newton, Howard Armstrong, and Bishop Matthews. The alternate juror is not pictured. (AP Photo/stf)
Leflore County Deputy Sheriff John Ed Cothran examines the huge cotton gin fan used to weigh down the body of 15-year-old Emmett Till in the Tallahatchie River about 25 miles north of Greenwood, Miss., Sept. 1, 1955. The boy’s body was found yesterday with barbed wire used to tied the body on the weight. Two men are held in connection with the racial killing. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick)
Leflore County Deputy Sheriff John Ed Cothran examines the huge cotton gin fan used to weigh down the body of 15-year-old Emmett Till in the Tallahatchie River about 25 miles north of Greenwood, Miss., Sept. 1, 1955. The boy’s body was found yesterday with barbed wire used to tied the body on the weight. Two men are held in connection with the racial killing. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick)
Ring presented as evidence as that taken from the body of Emmett Till at the murder drial in Summer, Miss., September 22, 1955. (AP Photo)
Ring presented as evidence as that taken from the body of Emmett Till at the murder drial in Summer, Miss., September 22, 1955. (AP Photo)
Roy Bryant leans over to kiss his wife September 22, 1955 , in the courtroom after hearing the verdict " not guilty.” He was on trial with his half-brother J. W. Milam, for murder. (AP Photo)
Roy Bryant leans over to kiss his wife September 22, 1955 , in the courtroom after hearing the verdict " not guilty.” He was on trial with his half-brother J. W. Milam, for murder. (AP Photo)
Roy Bryant, right, and his half-brother, J. W. Milam, second from right, walk down the steps of the Leflore County Courthouse in Greenwood, Miss., on Sept. 30, 1955., after being freed on bond, charged in the kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till. (AP Photo)
Roy Bryant, right, and his half-brother, J. W. Milam, second from right, walk down the steps of the Leflore County Courthouse in Greenwood, Miss., on Sept. 30, 1955., after being freed on bond, charged in the kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till. (AP Photo)
Mamie Bradley, mother of Emmett Louis Till, a black 14 year old slain in Mississippi, attends a rally in Williams Institutional Christian Methodist Episcopal Church at Seventh Avenue, between 131st and 132nd Streets, New York City, Sept. 25, 1955, at which the verdict of last week’s trial at Sumner, MS was denounced. Mrs. Bradley told the rally that the acquittal of the two men accused of the murder of her son constituted a signal that lynching is now in order. (AP Photo)
Mamie Bradley, mother of Emmett Louis Till, a black 14 year old slain in Mississippi, attends a rally in Williams Institutional Christian Methodist Episcopal Church at Seventh Avenue, between 131st and 132nd Streets, New York City, Sept. 25, 1955, at which the verdict of last week’s trial at Sumner, MS was denounced. Mrs. Bradley told the rally that the acquittal of the two men accused of the murder of her son constituted a signal that lynching is now in order. (AP Photo)