White supremacist convicted of the June 12, 1963, murder of NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers in Mississippi. In 1964, Beckwith was tried twice for the murder, but both trials ended with hung juries, both juries being all-white. In 1989, at the insistence of Evers’ widow Myrlie Evers Williams, Hinds County, MS, Assistant District Attorney Bobby DeLaughter reopened the Evers murder case, which eventually resulted in the 1994 conviction and life imprisonment of Beckwith. The jury who convicted Beckwith included 8 African-Americans. In 1997, the conviction was upheld by the Mississippi Supreme Court. Beckwith, who had a history of high blood pressure, heart problems, and other ailments, died in prison at the age of 80.  Family links:  Spouse:  Thelma Lindsay Beckwith (1909 – 2007)* *Calculated relationshipCause of death: Heart failure