Byron De La Beckwith, a member of the White Citizens' Council, was accused of assassinating Medgar Evers, a prominent civil rights leader, on June 12, 1963, in Jackson, Mississippi. Evers was shot in his driveway as he returned home from a civil rights meeting, leading to a national outrage that highlighted the pervasive racial violence in the South. Beckwith was arrested shortly after the murder but was acquitted by two all-white juries in 1964, which stoked tensions and anger among supporters of civil rights, who believed justice had been denied.

The case remained cold for decades until new evidence emerged, including a tape recording that suggested Beckwith’s co-conspirators in the crime. In 1990, he was re-indicted and the trial began in 1994. The prosecution presented compelling evidence of Beckwith's guilt, including forensic analysis that linked him to the crime scene. After a brief deliberation, jurors returned with a guilty verdict, sentencing Beckwith to life in prison.

The conviction of Byron De La Beckwith served as a potent symbol in the ongoing struggle for civil rights and accountability in the face of racial violence. It renewed discussions about the systemic racism that permeated the judicial system in the 1960s, as well as the need for ongoing vigilance in protecting the rights of all individuals against hate and discrimination.