Mr. Killen was a founding member of the Klan in the Philadelphia area and its chief recruiter, according to the F.B.I. He had been among 18 men tried in 1967 on federal charges of conspiring to violate the civil rights of Mr. Chaney, Mr. Goodman and Mr. Schwerner. Advertisement Continue reading the main storyAfterward, Mr. Killen, known to friends as Preacher Killen, continued to live with his wife, Betty Jo, at their modest ranch home near his 20-acre farm and sawmill. The man believed she was having an affair with Mr. Killen. Some of the judge’s friends later criticized him for not imposing concurrent sentences on Mr. Killen, who was 80 at the time.

Source: New York Times January 12, 2018 18:50 UTC