Never Too Late : A Prosecutor's Story of Justice in the Medgar Evars Case [Hardcover]

Bobby Delaughter (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lisa Drew Books | Publication Date: January 7, 2001

In June 12, 1963, Mississippi's fast-rising NAACP leader Medgar Evers was gunned down by a white supremacist named Byron De La Beckwith. Beckwith escaped conviction twice at the hands of all-white Southern juries, and his crime went unpunished for more than three decades. Now, from Bobby DeLaughter, one of the most celebrated prosecutors in modern American law, comes the blistering account of his remarkable crusade in 1994 finally to bring the assassin of Medgar Evers to justice.

This is the fascinating, real-life story of the assistant district attorney -- played by Alec Baldwin in Rob Reiner's "Ghosts of Mississippi" -- who brought closure to one of the darkest chapters of the civil rights movement.

When the district attorney's office in Jackson, Mississippi, decided to reopen the case, the obstacles in its way were overwhelming: missing court records; transcripts that were more than thirty years old; original evidence that had been lost; new testimony that had to be taken regarding long-ago events; and the perception throughout the state that a reprosecution was a futile endeavor. But step by painstaking step, DeLaughter and his team overcame the obstacles and built their case.

With taut prose that reads like a great detective thriller, "Never Too Late" is a page-turner of the very highest order. It charts the course of a country lawyer who, concerned about the collective soul of his community and the nature of American justice in general, dared to revisit a thirty-one-year-old case -- one so incendiary that everyone warned him not to touch it -- and win a long-overdue conviction. DeLaughter's success in this trial stands today as a landmark in the annals of criminalprosecution, and this bracing first-person account brings the saga to life as never before.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Now a judge in Hinds County Court, Jackson, MS, DeLaughter explains how he finally nailed Evers's killer.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

It took the state of Mississippi more than 30 years to convict Byron De La Beckwith of the 1963 murder of NAACP leader Medgar Evers. White juries had acquitted Beckwith in the '60s, but the investigation and trial DeLaughter spearheaded in the '90s finally produced a conviction. This is the story dramatized in Rob Reiner's film, The Ghosts of Mississippi; DeLaughter is the character played in the film by Alec Baldwin. The author draws on his journals and the legal transcriptions to re-create the research and interviews that made indictment possible and the thrust and parry of trial examination and cross-examination. DeLaughter's narrative is a bit like an episode of TV's Law and Order, in that the story begins with requests to reopen the case in 1989, and then follows a team's efforts to reconstruct the case over a period of years. Likely to appeal to true-crime and courtroom- drama fans, as well as to readers interested in the civil rights movement. Mary Carroll
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (January 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684865033
• ISBN-13: 978-0684865034
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,550,155 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #35 in Books > Law > Current Affairs

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Tale Of Two Heroes - An Amazing Tale of The Law, January 5, 2001

By 

Barry Bradford (Deerfield, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Never Too Late : A Prosecutor's Story of Justice in the Medgar Evars Case (Hardcover)

Medgar Evers was an American Hero. A young, articulate African American man, he had the courage to be head of the NAACP in Mississippi during the darkest days of the Civil Rights Movement. He was shot in the back in his driveway by an avowed "rabid racist" named Byron de la Beckwith.

Beckwith was tried twice for the crime; each time the jury was hung.

A quarter of a century later, an intrepid reporter named Jerry Mitchell of the Jackson Clarion-Ledger shook Mississippi to the core when he uncovered new evidence that pointed to Beckwith's guilt. Myrlie Evers, an amazing woman who was widowed by Beckwith's bullet, took that evidence to the Hinds County District Attorney's Office and asked that the case be reopened.

At first, the DA was sympathetic but skeptical. Then a brilliant Assistant District Attorney, Bobby DeLaughter, began investigating the possibility of indicting Beckwith.

This is the true story of DeLaughter's dogged, relentless search for justice. The story was partly told in the film "Ghosts of Mississippi" in which DeLaughter was played by Alec Baldwin. However, DeLaughter's real life account of the trial is far more captivating, amazing and, ultimately satisfying than the movie's version.

This book has the passion and riveting surprises of the best of Grisham or Turow, combined with the emotional impact of "Eyes On The Prize" and "The Long Walk Home." DeLaughter, a fluid and powerful writer, takes us deep into the heart of evil as he investigates a powerful Klansman.

In the end, this book is a triumphant and uplifting reminder of how the legal system can still bring justice.

Highest Recommendation.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Justice delayed but thankfully not denied., April 19, 2001

By 

Molly B. Nolan (Durham, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Never Too Late : A Prosecutor's Story of Justice in the Medgar Evars Case (Hardcover)

I had been interested by the story of Medgar Evers and the difficulty the state had in prosecuting his alleged killer for some time. When the State of Mississippi reopened the case for a potential third attempt at prosecution I was hopeful that some sense of justice might be achieved but not at all convinced that the then alleged killer would be found guilty of Medgar Evers' murder. Bobby De Laughter has written an insightful, thoughtful and intriguing book. As I read his account of the various threads of the story, the leads the DA's office had to develop to prosecute this case after so many years and the elements of good fortune that allowed this case to be pursued successfully I could not help but feel the presence of Medgar Evers. The goodness of the man and his persistent quest for justice is echoed in the actions of Mr. De Laughter, Ms. Myrlie Evers, the many dogged investigators and committed professionals who played their part in making the third trial come together.

This is a great read, so compelling I could not put it down. In many ways this book reads like a mystery. So much of what was needed to prepare the case against Byron De La Beckwith was lost during the long period between the killing and the final trial. Twice shut out, the stakes couldn't have been higher for the prosecution in this third outing. The book is no less suspenseful because the verdict is known. Although an intensely personal account, Mr. DeLaughter clearly and consicely explains the legal hurdles the prosecution faced and incisively analyzes the behavior and motivations of the defendant. Mr. De Laughter is widely descibed as very private, but in his writing he and his experience are so accessible the reader feels as if s/he is there every step of the way. This is an intelligent and inspiring work that should not be missed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, justice, March 27, 2009

By 

Schmerguls "schmerguls" (Sioux City, Ia USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Never Too Late : A Prosecutor's Story of Justice in the Medgar Evars Case (Hardcover)

4389 Never Too Late A Prosecutor's Story of Justice in the Medgar Evers Case, by Bobby DeLaughter (read 29 Nov 2007) This book by the prosecutor of Byron De La Beckwith was the highlight of my November reading, and one of the highlights of my reading so far this year. Beckwith murdered Medgar Evans on June 12, 1963 in Jackson, Mississippi and was tried twice in 1964 but the jury hung each time. DeLaughter prosecuted him again--since he was never acquitted he could be tried again.The book tells all of the things which went into the successful prosecution, and the fact that there were blacks on the jury this time does not seem to have been the key factor in the result. DeLaughter sets out in full his closing argument to the jury and it does deserve to be ranked as one of the great closing arguments of the century. This was an excellent and poignant book,