Guess Why This Is Not News: Four ‘Teens’ Murder 94 Year-Old Woman in Mississippi

Who is Eva Carmichael? She is a 94 year-old woman who was murdered in Meridian, Mississippi, on March 1. Based on the complete lack of press coverage outside of the immediate area, it’s reasonable to believe that the nation’s journalists don’t think, in the popular parlance, that “her life mattered” all that much. And why is that?

A March 6 Meridian Star story (HT to NewsBusters commenter “noncom”) reported that “Four teenagers have been arrested and charged in connection with her murder, and that those charges are “capital murder and burglary.” Additionally, “Other arrests in the case could be forthcoming.”

Here are photos of the four accused:

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The Star’s March 6 story also quotes an officer telling the reporter that “It appears based on the investigation Ms. Carmichael surprised the individuals that entered the home and as a result she was shot multiple times.”

It doesn’t take any imagination all to recognize that if this story were about four white teens killing a woman of any color, it definitely would have been covered at least regionally, if not nationally. (To be clear, I have not found a photo of Ms. Carmichael, or evidence of her race. UPDATE: A couple of commenters here have demonstrated that Ms. Carmichael was white.)

In the wake of the aforementioned murder and another death in the area which was also thought at the time to be another murder, the local chapter of the NAACP is blaming . . . (I can’t believe I’m typing this) . . . the public school system:

NAACP Blames School System for Crime

Two murders in less than 48 hours have the community searching for answers. How can we put a stop to the Meridian’s violent crime?

“We should not have to have the crime at this rapid level,” Meridian/Lauderdale Co. NAACP President Randle Jennings says.

Jennings says they believe the root of the problem lies within the Meridian public school system. He says many of these criminals drop out, can’t find jobs and they run out of choices.

“The criminal is at fault, but what we’re seeing is that these are young people that are almost in a position where they’re desperate,” he says. “I’ve been in education, my entire life. I’ve never seen a chaotic community and a sensible, productive school system.”

A press release from the NAACP says:

“Meridian school board members consistently expelled or pushed out young people, creating early juvenile offenders!”

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