Louis Till

According to Pvt. Thomas, the shot that later killed Anna Zanchi had been fired from the M1911 pistol that Louis Till had stolen that morning from the U.S. Navy Serviceman.

Italian witness John Masi testified about witnessing the home invasion and assault against all three women on the evening following the sailor's assault.

He testified that Louis Till had fired the shot that killed Anna Zanchi and had told him personally, "Get in the house, or I'll blow your head off!"

Both surviving rape victims also gave evidence, but stated that their assailants wore masks and they accordingly declined to identify them as the defendants.

Pvt. Thomas did, however, identify Louis Till as having fired the shot that killed Anna Zanchi.

Despite being informed of their right to do so, both soldiers elected not to give evidence in their own defense.

Louis Till (February 7, 1922 – July 2, 1945) was an African American GI during World War II.

After enlisting in the United States Army following trial for domestic violence against his estranged wife Mamie Till, and having chosen military service over jail time, Till was court-martialed on two counts of rape and one count of murder during the Italian Campaign.

He was found guilty and was executed by hanging at Aversa.

At her mother's insistence, Mamie broke off their courtship, but the persistent Till won out, and they married on October 14, 1940, when both were 18.

Their only child, Emmett Louis Till, was born on July 25, 1941.

Mamie left her husband soon after learning that he had been unfaithful.

Till, enraged, choked her to near unconsciousness, to which she responded by throwing scalding water at him.

Eventually, Mamie obtained a restraining order against him.

After he repeatedly violated this order, a judge forced Till to choose between enlistment in the United States Army and imprisonment.

Choosing the former, he enlisted in 1943.

While serving in the Italian Campaign, Till learned to speak the Neapolitan dialect of the Italian language fluently.

On 19 July 1944, Till was arrested by Military Police, who suspected him and two fellow soldiers of the murder of Allied civilian Anna Zanchi, an Italian woman, and the rape of two others in Civitavecchia.

Pvt. James Thomas, Jr., was granted immunity in exchange for testimony against Pvts.

McMurray and Till.

Thomas testified that Till and McMurray took 20 minutes to plan the home invasion and raped the two women.

Military Police investigators had found an envelope at the crime scene addressed to Pvt. McMurray.

Under interrogation, Pvt. McMurray confessed and stated that Till said, "Everybody follow me: If anybody turns back I'll blast him."

McMurray also testified that he begged Till not to shoot, but that Till had fired a shot into the house which killed Zanchi.

Fellow African-American GI Private James Thomas, Jr. testified for the prosecution and described witnessing the 27 June 1944 assault, armed robbery, and attempted murder of United States Navy sailor James E. Carter.

Private Thomas identified Till as Carter's assailant and alleged that Till had shouted, "I'm going to kill the motherfucking son of a bitch!"

Till allegedly attempted to shoot Carter with his own sidearm.

Carter managed, however, to jump into a jeep and flee the scene after the gun jammed.

On 17 February 1945, the Court Martial of Privates Till and McMurray began before a panel of seven military judges at Livorno.

Till was the estranged father of Emmett Till, whose murder in August 1955 at the age of 14 galvanized the civil rights movement.

The circumstances of Till's death remained largely unknown until they were revealed after the highly controversial acquittal of his son's murderers ten years later.

There is debate on the matter of Louis Till's guilt concerning the crime for which he was executed.

As with most Allied-on-Allied atrocities, which aren't covered by the laws of war, both soldiers, who raised no objection to a joint trial, stood accused of one count of murder and two counts of carnal knowledge in violation of the 92nd Article of War.

2nd Lieutenant Mervin R. Samuel appeared for the prosecution as Trial Judge Advocate, while First Lieutenant John W. Wynn appeared as Defense Counsel for both soldiers.

In 2013, in a book documenting every court martial and execution of GIs in North Africa and Europe during World War II, United States Army Colonel French MacLean acknowledges the lynching murder of Till's son, but insists that even though justice was not done to Emmett Till's murderers, the documents kept on the case by Judge Advocate General's Corps suggest that justice was in fact done to Louis Till.

An unrelated 2016 analysis by John Edgar Wideman, using the same case files, suggests Till to be innocent, and theorizes racial bias to be a factor in his guilty verdict, comparing the execution to the murder of Till's son.

Till grew up an orphan in New Madrid, Missouri.

As a young man, he worked at the Argo Corn Company and was an amateur boxer.

At age 17, Till began courting Mamie Carthan, a girl of the same age.

Her parents disapproved, thinking the charismatic Till was "too sophisticated" for their daughter.