Morris Dees Joins Court TV(R) as Analyst During Historic Live Trial Coverage Of 'Mississippi Burning' Case; June 21 Marks Anniversary of the Murders

Morris Dees Joins Court TV(R) as Analyst During Historic Live Trial Coverage Of 'Mississippi Burning' Case; June 21 Marks Anniversary of the Murders

Network Also Producing Exclusive Primetime Behind-the-Scenes Documentary

NEW YORK, June 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Court TV(R) has signed Morris Dees, legendary civil rights crusader and Founder and Chief Trial Counsel of the Southern Poverty Law Center, as a legal analyst during the network's live daytime (9am-5pm, ET/PT) coverage of the Mississippi v. Edgar Ray Killen trial. Court TV Correspondent Jean Casarez is covering the trial live from Philadelphia, Miss., providing daily reports and in-depth analysis, while Dees will be joining the broadcast from Montgomery, AL.

The trial, which began on June 15, comes four decades after three civil rights workers registering black voters in rural Mississippi were shot to death and found buried in a shallow grave. Federal authorities pursued conspiracy charges against Killen and 18 others in 1967, but only seven were convicted, and Killen's trial ended in a hung jury. Edgar Ray Killen, 80, now stands trial for triple homicide and faces life in prison if convicted.

In addition to its live trial coverage, the network is producing a special primetime documentary in upcoming weeks, examining the historic case that inspired the 1988 movie "Mississippi Burning," which starred Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe. The special will feature exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage shot during the trial, as well as interviews with key principles involved in the case.

The trial is also streamed live on Court TV Extra, the network's new paid subscription service found at http://www.courttv.com/extra. The subscription service features live video feeds from courtrooms across the country directly to PC's. Users can choose which feed to watch at any given time, live and without interruption for commercials or commentary. The site also includes up- to-the-minute trial highlights, the latest legal news, and special reports that have supported the enormous success of Court TV's website, http://courttv.com/.

Press contact: Andie Silvers 212-973-7532 silversa@courttv.com

Source: Court TV

CONTACT: Andie Silvers of Court TV, +1-212-973-7532, silversa@courttv.com

Web site: http://www.courttv.com/

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