The trial of accused triple murderer Edgar Ray Killen will be beamed live from Neshoba County into nearly 84 million households nationwide when the trial begins next week.
Correspondents with cable giant Court TV will be in Philadelphia as jurors hear arguments and evidence in the case against Killen, providing complete trial coverage from a feed provided by Mississippi Public Broadcasting who will have the only two video cameras in the courtroom.
Indicted in January, Killen is the sole defendant in the most notorious murder case of the civil rights era, accused of masterminding the murders of civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner and James Chaney in 1964 who were in Neshoba County to register blacks to vote.
“There is a nationwide interest in seeing closure brought to the case one way or the other,” said Court TV correspondent Jean Casarez. “That is what justice is all about.”
Casarez will cover the proceedings once the trial begins but said an advance team, which will include Court TV producer Lena Jacobsen, will arrive in Philadelphia for pre-trial coverage this week.
Casarez said many interesting aspects of the case led to the decision to provide live courtroom coverage.
The historical aspects of the trial coupled with issues likely to be argued, such as the length of time since the murders and the testimony of dead witnesses from a previous trial, all make the case worthy of attention.
“There are valid issues on both sides,” Casarez said. “But the justice system works in this country and that charges have been brought in this case are evident of that.”
Casarez has covered several cases for the network garnering worldwide attention including the sentencing phase of the Scott Peterson trial.
