Pete Banning was a decorated war hero of WWII, a father, a son, a farmer, a faithful member of his church but all this changed in 1946 in Clanton Mississippi.Paul may have been suffering from PTSD the moment he walked into his Methodist church and shot dead his best friend and pastor a Negro preacher named Dexter Bell.
Why he did this was anyone's guess but his only statement offering a hint of insight was this,"I have nothing to say."
An impartial jury was sought as concerns to move the trial out of Clanton surfaced.
Pete also has kept hidden the fact that he transferred deeds to his kids just 3 weeks before this murder.
But why?
Was he really damaged from war?
He was ultimately found guilty and put to death in the worst way.
That didn't stop the town from gossiping and forming their own opinions especially with regards to the relationship that developed between his wife Liza a white woman and her affair with Jupe a black man.
Dexter assumed he was helping but all along may have been doing more harm than good in keeping secrets hidden.
A fascinating look back into a time reminiscent of Southern Gothic storytelling this one will have you guessing right up till the end.
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