Justice rides into Clay County on shoulders of past victims
Jan. 22 marked the 50th anniversary of a quadruple murder in Bluffton. Four men were shot to death in a rural grocery store, my dad among them. I have always been grateful for an article in The Atlanta Constitution by Reg Murphy, “Afterword: The Flawed Minister Who Was Shot.” It gave voice to our personal tragedy in an unembellished and unapologetic manner.
Three men were charged in connection with the murders. One was tried and acquitted; the other two entered plea agreements and served some time in prison. I reviewed the court files and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation materials. I have spoken with people who still remember — including retired appellate Judge Herbert Phipps, who, along with C.B. King, defended the man who was acquitted. I spoke with the woman who first stumbled on the horrific murder scene. The acquittal included key legal events, notably a successful motion challenging the racial composition of the jury pool and a successful motion for mistrial after prospective jurors saw the defendant in shackles.
Some say the verdict was racially motivated (the victims were white, the defendants were Black, and the jury was all Black). I was 12 when my dad was killed. I think justice became unavailable to me the moment the shot entered my dad’s body. But I spent my adult life working as a trial lawyer and a judge, and I think it is not really possible to know why the jurors voted as they did.
Trial Judge Walter I. Geer’s rulings required the county to create a jury list that accurately reflected its racial composition. His rulings required adherence to all of the rules of court. Geer’s views on race and the impact of those views on how he managed his courtroom are a matter of public record. His rulings in the trial were different from what anyone expected. The defense team succeeded on motions that the judge had never before granted.
Justice seemed to ride into Clay County on the shoulders of those who fell to their early deaths in that tiny little store on Jan. 22, 1975. That counts for something, doesn’t it?
JODIE MOONEY, EUGENE, OREGON
Voters knew what would be good for them
Democrats and some media can’t seem to understand that President Donald Trump had a decisive victory. Democrats lament that voters just didn’t understand how awful Trump is and how horrible his policies would be for them. The media report that Trump barely won.
When not lamenting their loss, Democrats are crossing their arms in defiance, looking dismayed. Voters did not like the progressive direction the country was going in. So they turned to the energetic, engaging Trump. He made promises of making America great again — more conservative and more traditional. He is keeping those promises.
BECKY SMITH, ROSWELL
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