PHILADELPHIA, Mississippi (AFP) – A US jury yesterday convicted former Ku Klux Klan leader and Baptist preacher, Edgar Ray Killen, of the killings of three civil rights activists on the 41st anniversary of their deaths in Mississippi.

But the jury only agreed guilty verdicts on manslaughter after the prosecution withdrew murder charges in the so-called “Mississippi Burning” case.

Relatives of the three men, who were shot dead and had their bodies dumped under a dam, welcomed the verdict but said more steps must be taken to rid the American South of its racist past.

Killen, an 80-year-old in poor health, now faces a penalty of between 20 years and life in prison. He had denied the charges. His lawyers said they would appeal.

Killen was the first person to face charges of a direct role in the killings of Michael Schwerner, 24, Andy Goodman, 20, and James Chaney, 21, on June 21, 1964 as they took part in a campaign to persuade blacks to register to vote.

The three were held at a police station on trumped-up speeding charges, then released late at night and ambushed by members of the Klan and police.

Their bodies, beaten and riddled with bullets, were dumped under an earthen dam and only found 44 days later, following an intense search.

Killen listened to the verdict and sat in a wheelchair with a breathing apparatus covering his face.

He was accused of organising the deaths, but had denied any involvement.

The killing of the three activists – two whites from New York and one black from the southern state – rocked the United States and inspired the 1988 Hollywood movie “Mississippi Burning”.

Eighteen Klan members, including Killen, were indicted in 1964. Seven were convicted of federal charges by an all-white jury and sentenced in 1967 to prison terms of three to 10 years.

The all-white jury was unable to reach a verdict in Killen’s case, however, after one member said she could not convict a preacher.