A grand jury in Mississippi declined to indict the White woman whose accusation set off the lynching of Black teenager Emmett Till nearly 70 years ago.
Carolyn Bryant Donham, now 88, initially claimed that Till made unwanted advances toward her, prompting her husband and brother-in-law to abduct, torture and lynch the 14-year-old.
Local District Attorney W Dewayne Richardson said in a statement that a grand jury in rural Leflore County last week heard seven hours of testimony from investigators and witnesses.
But the jurors had determined there was not enough proof to indict Ms Donham.
The Chicago boy was visiting family when he entered the store in Money, Mississippi, where Ms Donham, then 21, worked.
Ms Donham, who is white, accused him of making improper advances and harassing her while she was alone in the shop. Her husband and brother-in-law kidnapped the boy at gunpoint, tortured him and tossed his battered body into a river.
At Till’s funeral, his mother Mamie Till Mobley insisted on an open coffin so everyone could see what had been done to him. Published photos of his brutalised remains shocked the nation.
The two kidnappers – Roy Bryant and JW Milam – were arrested over the murder, but acquitted by an all-white jury.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Granger/REX/Shutterstock (8675463a)\nEmmett Till (1941-1955). American Teenager, Lynched In Mississippi At The Age Of 14. Photographed With His Mother, Mamie Bradley, C1950.\nEmmett Till (1941-1955).
