Court Upholds James Ford Seale's Conviction

Another federal court has upheld the 2007 conviction of reputed Ku Klux Klan member for the kidnapping of two black teenagers who were tied to weights and dropped into the Mississippi River alive. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans upheld the conviction of James Ford Seale on a 2-1 vote.

Seale was convicted for the abduction of Charles Eddie Moore and Henry Hezekiah Dee. He is serving three life sentences.

The appeals court ruled that there was sufficient evidence for a jury to convict, even though the trial took place 43 years after the commission of the crimes. Earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a lower court ruling to stand that the statutes of limitation had not run out on the crime of kidnapping.

Kathy Nester, Seale's attorney, said the latest appeals court ruling would allow her to bring the question of statutes of limitation back to the Supreme Court.

Chance for Another Appeal

"This ruling really now enables us to go back to the U.S. Supreme Court and ask them to rule on the statute of limitations question, and we are looking forward to that opportunity," Nester told reporters.

The lone dissenting judge in the latest ruling wrote that too much time had elapsed and that incriminating statements Seale made about the case should never have been allowed into evidence.

In May 1964, Moore and Dee were abducted by members of the Klan, who believed they may have been involved in planning an armed uprising by blacks in the area. The two were beaten, put in the trunk of a car and driven across the state line before being tied to weights and thrown into the Mississippi River.

The 74-year-old Seale is serving his time in a federal prison in Indiana.

See Also:
Appeals Court Upholds Conviction in Miss. Killings
Background:
The Trial of James Ford Seale

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