Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr.

Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. (June 20, 1938 – June 26, 2020) was an American terrorist and convicted felon. At the time of his death, he was serving a life sentence for his role in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, which killed four young African-American girls (Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, Addie Mae Collins, and Denise McNair).[1]

Blanton was the son of Thomas Edwin "Pops" Blanton Sr., who was a known racist in the Birmingham, Alabama area, and his wife.[2]

On June 26, 2020, Blanton died at William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer, Alabama of natural causes while serving his life sentence. He was 82 years old.[3][4]

References

  1. Sack, Kevin (May 2, 2001). Ex-Klansman Is Found Guilty in '63 Bombing. https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A03EEDB1438F931A35756C0A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved February 5, 2009. 
  2. Clary, Mike (14 April 2001). "Birmingham's Painful Past Reopened". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2001/apr/14/news/mn-50901. Retrieved 21 June 2014. 
  3. Thomas Blanton, 16th Street Baptist Church bomber, dies in prison
  4. Genzlinger, Neil (June 26, 2020). "Thomas Blanton, Who Bombed a Birmingham Church, Dies at 82". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2020.