Killing of Henry Marrow - Aftermath

Aftermath

The Marrow killing prompted the first major stirrings of the American Civil Rights Movement in Granville County. On the day of Marrow's funeral, mourners marched from the gravesite to the Confederate monument in downtown Oxford, where leaders spoke about the significance of the killing. A similar march was held the next day.

In reaction to these events, a group of black Vietnam veterans began a campaign of arson against the white business community. The burning of several warehouses and shops was worth an estimated $1 million in damages. In response to civil unrest prompted by the incident, the city was under a four-day curfew.

At the murder trial, an all-white jury returned a verdict of not guilty on all counts. In 1970, Marrow's widow filed a wrongful death suit against the Teals.

After the trial, Benjamin Chavis, a local civil rights organizer and leader of the local chapter of the NAACP, started a boycott of white-owned businesses in the area. The boycott was eventually successful in bringing about racial integration in Oxford. By late autumn of 1970, the white community agreed to the integration of public facilities and stores. It was later alleged that Chavis had offered to pay $5,000 for the death of one of the Teels.

Henry Marrow's grave is marked with a military headstone showing his name, rank and state, date of birth and death, and the word "Vietnam".