Ala. ex-trooper pleads in civil rights-era slaying - Audio

Ala. ex-trooper pleads in civil rights-era slaying: "A white former state trooper pleaded guilty Monday to a lesser charge in the 1965 shooting death of a black man at a civil rights protest, a killing that inspired historic voting rights marches.

James Bonard Fowler, 77, entered the plea of misdemeanor second-degree manslaughter two weeks before he was scheduled to go to trial on a murder charge for the death of Jimmie Lee Jackson. Jackson's shooting in the city of Marion set off protests at nearby Selma that led to passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Fowler was sentenced to six months in jail in Geneva County, his home county."
Cordelia Billingsley, daughter of Jimmie Lee Jackson, holds a photo of her slain father Jimmie Lee Jackson at the Perry County Courthouse in Marion, Ala., on Monday.

Retired Alabama State Trooper James Bonard Fowler, 77, center, plead guilty to killing Jimmie Lee Jackson in 1965 during a Civil Rights protest and will serve 6 months in jail.