Final answer:
Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam confessed to the murder of Emmett Till in a magazine interview four months after their acquittal, taking advantage of the double jeopardy principle. Their public admission highlighted serious issues within the justice system including racial injustices and legal loopholes of the time.
Step-by-step explanation:
Four months after being acquitted of the murder of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam decided to publicly confess to the crime. They felt safe to do so because of the principle of double jeopardy, which prohibits an individual from being tried again for the same crime after being acquitted. Their confession was published in a magazine article, where they detailed how they murdered Emmett Till. This interview was a brazen acknowledgement of their guilt, only possible due to their legal immunity after the trial.
Their actions and the subsequent interview underscore the systemic injustices of the era, including the challenges surrounding race and legal protection in the American South during that time. It particularly highlights how the American criminal justice system could fail to hold individuals accountable due to racial prejudices and legal technicalities.