A dying cancer patient who confessed to one of the most shocking crimes of the civil rights era - a 1963 church bombing that killed four black girls - is lying, authorities said Friday.

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U.S. Attorney Frank Donaldson and Jefferson County District Attorney David Barber said their investigation disproved statements made by Gary A. Tucker, 54, about the Sept. 15, 1963, bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church."There is no question about it, Tucker's statements are not credible," Donaldson said. "Efforts were made to corroborate his statements. It could not be done. In fact, they were disproved. The investigation reveals that Mr. Tucker is the confessor of a crime he did not commit."

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