Klan Recruit Slain in Initiation

Woman shot as she tries to leave KKK ritual

By Peter Fearon, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 12, 2008 2:37 AM CST

(Newser) – A woman was murdered by a Ku Klux Klan leader after she backed out of an initiation ritual, according to investigators. The unidentified Oklahoma woman, who had been recruited on the internet, was about to join a Louisiana KKK group called the Sons of Dixie Brotherhood. After several rites, including having her head shaved, she tried to leave and was allegedly shot by the head klansman, reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Her body was found stashed under brush. Eight Klansmen are in custody. The crime was discovered after two men asked a store clerk how to remove blood from clothing. The way members "scrubbed the area" to cover up the crime "was impressive for a group with such a small IQ," said a sheriff. "When you think you've seen it all, something like this occurs. I can't imagine anyone feeling endangered from these kooks. We're not going to tolerate this."

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Raymond Foster, the head of a Ku Klux Klan chapter from Bogalusa, La., is charged with murdering a woman during a Klan initiation rite. (AP Photo/St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office)

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It's a situation that almost defies logic. When you think you've seen it all, something like this occurs. - St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain.

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Klan Recruit Slain in Initiation