Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. (June 20, 1938 – June 26, 2020) was an American terrorist and convicted felon, formerly serving four life sentences for his role as conspirator in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 1963, which killed four African American girls (Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, Addie Mae Collins, and Denise McNair).[1] Blanton, along with Bobby Frank Cherry, was convicted in May 2001[2] in a highly publicized trial of the cold case.[3] Future United States Senator Doug Jones successfully prosecuted Blanton and Cherry.[4]
Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Undated mug shot of Blanton taken by the Alabama Department of Corrections | |
| Born | June 20, 1938 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | June 26, 2020 (aged 82) |
| Known for | Participant in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing |
| Parent | Thomas Edwin "Pops" Blanton Sr. |
| Motive | White supremacy |
| Conviction(s) | First degree murder (4 counts) |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
| Partner(s) | |
Early life
editBlanton was born in Washington, D.C., on June 20, 1938, and was the son of Thomas Edwin "Pops" Blanton Sr., who was described in 2001 as a notorious racist in the Birmingham, Alabama, area.[5][6]
Education and career
editBlanton had a tenth-grade education and served as an aircraft mechanic in the Navy from 1956 to 1959. Blanton was a member of the Ku Klux Klan in the early 1960s, along with the other suspects in the bombing.[6]
Trial and imprisonment
editAt the time of his arrest, Blanton was working at a Walmart store and he was living in a trailer with no running water.[6]
Blanton was a suspect from early in the investigation, but J. Edgar Hoover prevented attempts by the Birmingham office or the Federal Bureau of Investigation to bring charges against Blanton and three other men. This was reportedly because Hoover thought a successful prosecution was unlikely.[6] In a jury trial in 2001, Blanton was prosecuted by the state, and convicted of murder. He was sentenced to four life sentences in state prison.[1]
He was housed at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama.[7] Blanton went before the parole board on August 3, 2016. Parole was denied and deferred until 2021.[8]
Death
editOn June 26, 2020, Blanton died at William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility after 19 years of incarceration, from unspecified causes while serving his life sentence, six days after his 82nd birthday.[9][6]
See also
editFurther reading
edit- Sikora, Frank (2005). Until Justice Rolls Down: The Birmingham Church Bombing Case. University of Alabama Press. ISBN 9780817352684.
References
edit- ^ a b Sack, Kevin (May 2, 2001). "Ex-Klansman Is Found Guilty in '63 Bombing". The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
- ^ https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/thomas-blanton-kkk-bomber-alabama-church-1963-dies-prison-n1232293
- ^ "16th Street Baptist Church bombing | History & Four Girls". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
- ^ Reeves, Jay (May 23, 2002). "Case closed; Cherry guilty". TimesDaily. Associated Press. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
- ^ Clary, Mike (14 April 2001). "Birmingham's Painful Past Reopened". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Genzlinger, Neil (June 26, 2020). "Thomas Blanton, Who Bombed a Birmingham Church, Dies at 82". The New York Times. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
- ^ "Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr". Alabama Department of Corrections. Retrieved Sep 15, 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Faulk, Kent (July 14, 2016). "Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bomber up for parole next month". The Birmingham News. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
- ^ Thomas Blanton, 16th Street Baptist Church bomber, dies in prison