Welcome to another gripping episode of Black & Unsolved: True Crime Chronicles on the NBG Podcast Network. Join host A.I. Jackson as we delve into the haunting case of Henry Marrow, a young Black man whose brutal murder in 1970 remains a symbol of racial injustice in Oxford, North Carolina.
This episode unravels the tragic events surrounding Marrow's death, the racial tensions it ignited, and the controversial trial that left his family and community without justice. Despite clear evidence and eyewitness accounts, the acquittal of the white men responsible for Marrow's murder highlighted the deep-rooted racism within the American justice system.
Explore the life of Henry Marrow, the impact of his murder on the Civil Rights Movement, and the ongoing struggle for equality. Learn how his story, immortalized in Tim Tyson's book "Blood Done Sign My Name," continues to inspire the fight against racial oppression.
Stay tuned as we continue to shed light on unresolved cases and their enduring legacies. Connect with us at nbgpodcastnetwork.com for more compelling stories. Remember, justice delayed should never be justice denied.
00:00:00 --> 00:00:04 Welcome back to Black and Unsolved, or in this particular episode,
00:00:04 --> 00:00:08 Unresolved, on the NBG Podcast Network,
00:00:09 --> 00:00:15 where we shine a light on the forgotten and unresolved cases that have affected the Black community.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:19 I'm your host, A.I. Jackson.
00:00:20 --> 00:00:26 Each episode, we investigate a different mystery, unraveling the lives of those
00:00:26 --> 00:00:33 who were taken too soon and diving deep into the search for justice that still remains unanswered.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:40 Today, we explore the chilling murder of Henry Marrow, a case that shook a small
00:00:40 --> 00:00:45 town in North Carolina and remains a symbol of racial injustice.
00:00:45 --> 00:00:50 Though it's been over 50 years since Henry Marrow's life was tragically cut
00:00:50 --> 00:00:55 short, the questions surrounding his murder and the subsequent trial still linger.
00:00:55 --> 00:01:03 Was justice truly served, or was this another example of the racial inequities
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 that have long haunted America?
00:01:06 --> 00:01:13 On May 11th, 1970, a young black man named Henry Dickey Marrow was brutally
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 murdered in Oxford, North Carolina.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:21 His death sent shock waves through the town and ignited racial tensions that
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 would boil over into riots and protests.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:30 Marrow was just 23 years old at the time of his death, a husband and father-to-be,
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 with his entire life ahead of him.
00:01:33 --> 00:01:39 But in an instant, his life was stolen, and the events that followed would expose
00:01:39 --> 00:01:44 the deep racial divide in the South, leaving his family and community devastated.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:49 The murder of Henry Marrow wasn't just an isolated crime.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:54 It was a reflection of the systemic racism that permeated the South during the
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 era of the Civil Rights Movement.
00:01:56 --> 00:02:01 Despite clear evidence and eyewitness testimony, the white men responsible for
00:02:01 --> 00:02:07 his death were acquitted, leaving the black community in Oxford with a bitter sense of injustice.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:13 In this episode, we'll explore the life of Henry Marrow, the circumstances of
00:02:13 --> 00:02:17 his murder and the trial that followed, a trial that many believe was a farce,
00:02:18 --> 00:02:22 emblematic of the deep-rooted racism within the American justice system.
00:02:23 --> 00:02:27 Henry Marrow was born in 1947 in North Carolina.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:32 Like many young black men of his generation, he grew up in a world where segregation
00:02:32 --> 00:02:35 was still the norm and racial tensions were high.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:41 Despite these challenges, Henry was known to his family and friends as a kind,
00:02:41 --> 00:02:45 easygoing man and army veteran who worked hard to support his loved ones.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:51 At the time of his murder, he was married and expecting his first child,
00:02:52 --> 00:02:55 a daughter who would be born just months after his death.
00:02:55 --> 00:02:59 To his community, Henry was more than just another young man.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:05 He represented hope for a new generation that sought to break free from the
00:03:05 --> 00:03:08 oppressive chains of segregation and racism.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:16 But as we'll see, the old systems of racial violence and white supremacy were
00:03:16 --> 00:03:20 still very much alive in Oxford in 1970.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:26 The events that led to Henry Marrow's murder unfolded quickly and unexpectedly.
00:03:26 --> 00:03:34 On the evening of May 11th, 1970, Henry had gone to a local store owned by Robert Teal, a white man.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:40 There are differing accounts of what exactly happened in the moments leading up to the the murder,
00:03:40 --> 00:03:46 but one version suggests that Marrow was accused of making an inappropriate
00:03:46 --> 00:03:51 remark or ugly words to Robert Teal's daughter-in-law, Judy, as she described.
00:03:52 --> 00:03:58 Robert Teal said in a recorded account that N-I-G-G-E-R committed suicide,
00:03:59 --> 00:04:03 coming in here wanting to four-letter word, my daughter-in-law.
00:04:03 --> 00:04:08 Marrow told Larry Teal that he was speaking to two African-American women standing
00:04:08 --> 00:04:12 nearby, an explanation that Teal did not accept.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:20 This minor exchange, regardless of its truth, set off a chain of events that would end in tragedy.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:27 Enraged, Robert Teal, his son Larry, and their relative Roger Oakley chased
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 Henry Marrow down the street.
00:04:30 --> 00:04:34 As Marrow fled, he was beaten with a shotgun, shot multiple times,
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 and left to die in a pool of blood on the street.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:43 Witnesses reported that Teal's men didn't just shoot Henry in a moment of anger.
00:04:43 --> 00:04:48 They stood over him and fired repeatedly, making sure he was dead.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:55 This brutal, daylight killing sent a clear message to the black community of Oxford.
00:04:55 --> 00:05:02 Even the smallest transgression, real or imagined, could cost a black man his
00:05:02 --> 00:05:07 life. And despite the witnesses who saw the murder unfold, justice would not be served.
00:05:08 --> 00:05:13 The murder of Henry Morrow sparked outrage in Oxford's Black community.
00:05:13 --> 00:05:19 The senseless violence, coupled with the history of racial discrimination and
00:05:19 --> 00:05:23 segregation in the town, made it clear that the lives of Black citizens were
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 still considered expendable by the white power structure.
00:05:27 --> 00:05:31 Morrow's murder was not just about one man's life.
00:05:31 --> 00:05:37 It was a symbol of the wider system of racial oppression that existed in North
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 Carolina and across the South.
00:05:39 --> 00:05:44 In the days following the murder, protests erupted in Oxford.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:49 The Black residents demanded justice for Henry Merrill, but their cries were
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 met with silence from the White authorities.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:59 The tension between the races, palpable, and it wasn't long before those tensions boiled over into riots.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:05 Buildings were set on fire, and both black and white residents clashed in the streets.
00:06:05 --> 00:06:11 The town of Oxford, like many southern towns at the time, was divided along racial lines.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:17 The white citizens largely defended the Teal family, while the black community
00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 was left feeling powerless and frustrated.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:25 The riots reflected a broader struggle for civil rights and equality that was
00:06:25 --> 00:06:31 playing out across the country, from the streets of Oxford to the halls of Congress.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:36 Despite the public nature of Henry Marrow's murder and the eyewitnesses who
00:06:36 --> 00:06:42 saw it happen, the trial of Robert Thiel and his accomplices would end in bitter disappointment.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:48 In July of 1970, Thiel and his son were charged with first-degree murder.
00:06:49 --> 00:06:53 Many in the black community held on to hope that this time, justice would be served.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:59 After all, the evidence was clear, multiple witnesses had seen the murder take
00:06:59 --> 00:07:02 place, and there was no question as to who had pulled the trigger.
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 But the trial was far from fair.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:10 The all-white jury, a common occurrence in the Jim Crow South,
00:07:10 --> 00:07:14 was a clear indication of the racial bias at play.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:19 The defense argued that the Teals had acted in self-defense,
00:07:19 --> 00:07:24 a claim that defied logic given the fact that Henry Morrow had been unarmed
00:07:24 --> 00:07:25 and fleeing for his life.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:31 Yet, after a short deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:38 Teal and his family walked free, while Henry Morrow's family was left to mourn
00:07:38 --> 00:07:39 without any semblance of justice.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:45 For many, the acquittal was not just an injustice. It was a betrayal.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:51 It reinforced the belief that the lives of black people were worth less than
00:07:51 --> 00:07:56 those of their white counterparts, and that the justice system was designed
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 to protect white supremacy at all costs.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:07 The murder of Henry Marrow and the subsequent acquittal of his killers had far-reaching
00:08:07 --> 00:08:12 consequences, both for Oxford and for the nation as a whole.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:16 The riots that followed the trial caused significant damage to the town,
00:08:17 --> 00:08:21 and the deep racial divide persisted long after the fires were extinguished.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:27 Oxford, like many towns in the South, would continue to struggle with racial
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 tensions for years to come.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:34 For Henry Marrow's family, the pain of his murder was compounded by the knowledge
00:08:34 --> 00:08:37 that his killers had never been held accountable.
00:08:38 --> 00:08:41 His widow, Hattie, was left to raise their daughter without him,
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 knowing that the system had failed her husband.
00:08:44 --> 00:08:50 For many in the black community, the case of Henry Marrow became a rallying
00:08:50 --> 00:08:55 cry for civil rights, a reminder of the work that still needed to be done to
00:08:55 --> 00:08:58 achieve true equality in America.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:02 Though Henry Marrow's murder remains an unsolved case in the sense that justice
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 was never truly served, his legacy lives on.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:11 His death became a symbol of the broader struggle for racial justice in the
00:09:11 --> 00:09:16 South, and his name is still remembered by those who continue to fight for equality today.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:23 In 2006, Tim Tyson, a historian who had grown up in Oxford, published a book
00:09:23 --> 00:09:27 titled Blood Done Sign My Name, which detailed the events surrounding Mero's
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 murder and the aftermath that followed.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:34 Tyson's work helped bring national attention to the case and shed shed light
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 on the racial violence that had taken place in Oxford.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:43 The book was later adapted into a film, ensuring that Henry Merrow's story would not be forgotten.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:49 Henry Merrow's life was tragically cut short, and his family never received
00:09:49 --> 00:09:50 the justice they deserved.
00:09:51 --> 00:09:56 His murder is a stark reminder of the racial violence that plagued the South
00:09:56 --> 00:10:01 during the Civil Rights era and the systemic racism that continues to affect
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 communities of color today.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:09 As we reflect on Henry Marrow's story, we are reminded that the fight for justice is ongoing.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:17 If you or anyone you know has any information or memories related to the murder
00:10:17 --> 00:10:21 of Henry Marrow, it's never too late to come forward.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:25 Justice may be delayed, but it should never be denied.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:30 If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to hit that like button,
00:10:30 --> 00:10:34 leave a comment, write a review, and share it with your friends.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:44 And for more amazing NBG Podcast Network shows, head over to nbgpodcastnetwork.com
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 and check out our complete lineup.
00:10:47 --> 00:10:53 Stay tuned for our next episode, where we will continue to explore unresolved
00:10:53 --> 00:10:56 cases and the stories behind them.
00:10:56 --> 00:11:01 Remember, stay connected, stay empowered, and stay vigilant.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:07 Until then, I'm your host, AI Jackson.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:14 And this has been Black and Unsolved, True Crime Chronicles on the NBG Podcast Network.
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