NEW ORLEANS, La. – A grand jury was to consider a case Wednesday that could result in formal charges for eight suspected Ku Klux Klan members arrested in the death of an Oklahoma woman.
Police have said Cynthia Lynch, 43, of Tulsa, was recruited to join a Louisiana-based KKK group over the Internet and was shot to death in November when she tried to leave an initiation. Police have said the group's leader, Raymond Foster, 44, killed Lynch.
He has been booked on a second-degree murder charge. Seven others, including Foster's 20-year-old son Shane, were booked on obstruction of justice charges.
The grand jury will begin hearing the case Wednesday, said Rick Wood, a spokesman for the District Attorney's Office in St. Tammany Parish, north of New Orleans. He would not give any details on what evidence may be presented.
Authorities said at the time of Lynch's killing they believed she had a falling out with head of the group, referred to alternately as the Sons of Dixie or the Dixie Brotherhood. She is believed to have been shot to death on or about Nov. 9.
Investigators said they found weapons, Confederate flags and six Klan robes at the campsite where Lynch was killed. Lynch's former attorney had described her has a lonely and troubled person who likely reached out to the group to seek a sense of belonging.
Investigators said statements from suspects suggested Lynch had gone through the initiation but didn't mix well with Foster, and was ready to leave after two days.
All the suspects are from Washington Parish, which was infamous for Klan activity in the 1960s. The organization is now considered loosely organized.
Raymond Foster, his son and most of the other suspects remained jailed Tuesday. Foster's bond was set at $500,000. Bonds for the other suspects varied.
A message left for Raymond Foster's attorney was not immediately returned Tuesday.
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