MAY 22, 2002

An Alabama jury convicted Bobby Cherry of taking part in the Ku Klux Klan’s 1963 bombing of a Birmingham church that killed four girls. Cherry received four life sentences — one for each slaying. In 2004, he died in prison.

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The stories of investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell have helped put four Klansmen and a serial killer behind bars. His stories have also helped free two people from death row, exposed injustices and corruption, prompting investigations and reforms as well as the firings of boards and officials. He is a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a longtime member of Investigative Reporters & Editors, and a winner of more than 30 other national awards, including a $500,000 MacArthur “genius” grant. After working for three decades for the statewide Clarion-Ledger, Mitchell left in 2019 and founded the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting.