Alton Wayne Roberts
Alton Wayne Roberts | |
|---|---|
Mug shot of Roberts, 1964 | |
| Born | April 6, 1938 Meridian, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | September 11, 1999 (aged 61) Meridian, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Resting place | Quitman, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Bar owner, salesman, truck driver |
| Criminal status | Deceased |
| Spouse | Linda Walker |
| Motive | White supremacy |
| Conviction | Conspiracy to deprive rights (18 U.S.C. § 241) |
| Criminal penalty | 10 years imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Victims | James Chaney, 21 Andrew Goodman, 20 Michael Schwerner, 24 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
Alton Wayne Roberts (April 6, 1938 – September 11, 1999) was an American murderer and white supremacist. Roberts, a member of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, was convicted for his role in the 1964 Freedom Summer murders. He was the one who fatally shot two of the victims, Congress of Racial Equality civil rights activists Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman. Roberts also shot the third activist, James Chaney, but some debate that it was another accomplice, James Jordan, who had killed him. Jordan had identified Roberts as Chaney's killer. In 1967, he was charged and convicted of depriving the slain activists of their civil rights.