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Murder of James Byrd Jr.

January 01, 1970

James Byrd Jr. (May 2, 1949 – June 7, 1998) was an African American man who was murdered by three white men, two of whom were avowed white supremacists, in Jasper, Texas, on June 7, 1998. Shawn Berry, Lawrence Brewer, and John King dragged him for three miles (five kilometers) behind a Ford pickup truck along an asphalt road. Byrd, who remained conscious for much of his ordeal, was killed about halfway through the dragging when his body hit the edge of a culvert, severing his right arm and head. The murderers drove on for another 1+1⁄2 miles (2.5 kilometers) before dumping his torso in front of a Black church.[1][2]

James Byrd Jr.
Born(1949-05-02)May 2, 1949
Jasper County, Texas, U.S.
DiedJune 7, 1998(1998-06-07) (aged 49)
Jasper, Texas, U.S.
Cause of deathMurder by dragging
Resting placeJasper City Cemetery
OccupationAccount Executive
Children3

Brewer and King were the first white men to be sentenced to death for killing a Black person in the history of modern Texas.[3] In 2001, Byrd's lynching-by-dragging led the state of Texas to pass a hate crimes law, which later led the United States Congress to pass the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009.[4] Brewer was executed by lethal injection for his part in the murder on September 21, 2011.[5] King was executed by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, on April 24, 2019.[6][7][8][9] Berry was sentenced to life imprisonment and will be eligible for parole in 2038.[10]

Background edit

James Byrd Jr. was born on May 2, 1949, in Jasper County, Texas, the third of nine children, to Stella Mae Sharp (1925–2010) and James Byrd Sr. (1925–2020).[11] His mother was a Sunday School teacher and his father was a deacon at the Greater New Bethel Church. Byrd graduated from Jasper Rowe High School in 1967, the last segregated class. After graduating from high school, he married and had three children: Renee, Ross, and Jamie. He worked as a vacuum salesman.[12][13][14] James Byrd Jr. was a cousin of Dennetta Lyles King who was Rodney King's first wife and mother to his daughter Lora King.[15]

Ross Byrd, the only son of James Byrd Jr., has been involved with "Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation",[16] an organization that opposes capital punishment. He campaigned to spare the lives of those who murdered his father and appeared briefly in the documentary Deadline.[17][18]

Murder edit

On June 7, 1998, Byrd, age 49, accepted a ride from Shawn Berry (age 23), Lawrence Brewer (age 31), and John King (age 23). Berry, who was driving, was acquainted with Byrd from around town. Instead of taking Byrd home, the three men took Byrd to a remote county road out of town, beat him severely,[19] spray-painted his face,[20] urinated and defecated on him,[19] and chained him by his ankles to their pickup truck before dragging him for about three miles (five kilometers) on Huff Creek Road (County Road 278).[21] Brewer later claimed that Byrd's throat had been slashed by Berry before he was dragged. However, forensic evidence suggests that Byrd had been attempting to keep his head up while being dragged, and an autopsy suggested that Byrd was alive during much of the dragging. Byrd died about halfway along the route of his dragging, when his right arm and head were severed as his body hit a culvert.[2] While almost all of Byrd's ribs were fractured, his brain and skull were found intact, further suggesting that he maintained consciousness while he was being dragged.[22]

Berry, Brewer, and King dumped the mutilated remains of Byrd's body in front of an African-American cemetery on Huff Creek Road, then drove off to a barbecue.[23] A motorist found Byrd's decapitated remains the following morning.[24] Along the area where Byrd was dragged, police found a wrench with "Berry" written on it. They also found a lighter that was inscribed with "Possum", which was King's prison nickname.[23] The police found 81 places that included portions of Byrd's remains.[23][25] Since Brewer and King were well-known white supremacists, it was determined by state law enforcement officials that the murder was a hate crime.[26] They called upon the Federal Bureau of Investigation less than 24 hours after the discovery of Byrd's remains.[27] The special agent in charge of the FBI's Houston office said that they were assisting because of the case's "extreme circumstances".[28]

King had several racist tattoos: a black man hanging from a tree, Nazi symbols, the words "Aryan Pride", and the patch for a gang of white supremacist inmates known as the Confederate Knights of America.[29] In a jailhouse letter to Brewer that was intercepted by jail officials, King expressed pride in the crime and said that he realized while committing the murder that he might have to die. "Regardless of the outcome of this, we have made history. Death before dishonor. Sieg Heil!" King wrote.[2] An officer investigating the case also testified that witnesses said that King had referenced The Turner Diaries after beating Byrd.[30]

Berry, Brewer, and King were tried and convicted for Byrd's murder. Brewer and King received the death penalty, while Berry was sentenced to life in prison. Brewer was executed by lethal injection on September 21, 2011, and King was executed on April 24, 2019.[5][6][7][31]

Perpetrators edit

Shawn Berry edit

During the trial of Shawn Allen Berry (born February 12, 1975), the prosecution conceded that he was not a white supremacist, but they argued that he was just as responsible for Byrd's murder as the other men and suggested that he might have been a thrill killer.[32] Berry's attorneys had three black men who knew him testify that he was not a racist.[33] Berry claimed that Brewer and King were almost entirely responsible for the crime. He said he tried to stop them from attacking Byrd until Brewer threatened to do the same to him.[34] Brewer, however, testified that Berry had cut Byrd's throat before he was tied to the truck. The jury decided that minimal evidence supported this claim.[35] Berry was also the only one of the three to show any degree of remorse.[36] As a result, Berry was sentenced to life in prison rather than death. As of 2020, Berry was living in protective custody at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Ramsey Unit,[7] and he will first be eligible for parole in June 2038, by that time, he will be 63 years old.[37] He spends 23 hours per day in an 8-by-6-foot (2.4-by-1.8-metre) cell, with one hour for exercise. Berry married Christie Marcontell by proxy.[38]

Lawrence Brewer edit

Lawrence Russell Brewer (March 13, 1967 – September 21, 2011) was a white supremacist, who prior to Byrd's murder had served a prison sentence for drug possession and burglary. He was paroled in 1991. After violating his parole conditions in 1994, Brewer was returned to prison. According to his court testimony, he joined a white supremacist prison gang with King in order to safeguard himself from other inmates.[39] Brewer and King became friends in the Beto Unit prison.[7] A psychiatrist testified that Brewer did not appear repentant for his crimes. During the trial, the prosecution labeled him a racist psychopath.[40] Brewer was ultimately convicted and sentenced to death.[41] Brewer, TDCJ#999327,[42] was on death row at the Polunsky Unit,[7] but he was executed in the Huntsville Unit on September 21, 2011.[43] The day before his execution, Brewer expressed no remorse for his crime, as he told KHOU 11 News in Houston: "As far as any regrets, no, I have no regrets. No, I'd do it all over again, to tell you the truth."[44]

Before his execution, Brewer ordered a last meal that prompted the end of last meal requests in Texas. The meal included two chicken fried steaks with gravy and sliced onions; a triple-patty bacon cheeseburger; a cheese omelet with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and jalapeños; a bowl of fried okra with ketchup; one pound of barbecued meat with half a loaf of white bread; three fully loaded fajitas; a meat-lover's pizza; one pint of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream; a slab of peanut-butter fudge with crushed peanuts on top; and three root beers. When the meal was presented, he told officials that he was not hungry and as a result he did not eat any of it. The meal was discarded, prompting State Senator John Whitmire to ask Texas prison officials to end the 87-year-old tradition of giving last meals to condemned inmates. The prison agency's executive director responded by stating that the practice had been terminated effective immediately.[45]

John King edit

John William "Bill"[46] King (November 3, 1974 – April 24, 2019) was Berry's longtime friend.[26] He was accused of beating Byrd with a bat and then dragging him behind a pickup truck until he died. King, who prior to the murder had recently been released from a Texas prison, said that he had been repeatedly gang raped in prison by black inmates.[47] He was found guilty and sentenced to death for his role in Byrd's kidnapping and murder, and was on death row at the Polunsky Unit.[7]

On December 21, 2018, King's execution by lethal injection was scheduled for April 24, 2019.[8] On April 22, 2019, his appeals to both the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles were denied.[48][49] He was executed at the Huntsville Unit on April 24, 2019.[50][51]

 
The condemned perpetrators were held at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit.
 
Huntsville Unit, where Brewer and King were executed

Reactions edit

Numerous aspects of the Byrd murder echo lynching traditions that were common in the post-Civil War south. These include mutilation or decapitation and revelry, such as a barbecue or a picnic, either during or after a lynching. Byrd's murder was strongly condemned by Jesse Jackson and the Martin Luther King Center as an act of vicious racism. It also focused national attention on the prevalence of white supremacist prison gangs.[52]

Three sisters of James Byrd are Jehovah's Witnesses, and in a joint statement said: "Having a loved one tortured and lynched produced an unimaginable sense of loss and pain. How does one respond to such a brutal act? Retaliation, hateful speech, or promotion of hate-ridden propaganda never entered our mind. We thought: 'What would Jesus have done? How would he have responded?' The answer was crystal clear. His message would have been one of peace and hope."[53]

The victim's family created the James Byrd Foundation for Racial Healing after his death. Basketball star Dennis Rodman paid their funeral expenses and gave Byrd's family $25,000. Fight promoter Don King gave Byrd's children $100,000 to be put towards their educational expenses.[54] On the 25th anniversary of Byrd's death, family members reflected in a 2023 interview for the Texas Tribune that fundraising for the foundation had become much harder as knowledge of Byrd's murder fades; one sister reflected that there was less awareness amongst the public of hatred in the community: "People don't want to fund it because they think there's no hate in the world", she was quoted as saying.[55] A reporter visiting Jasper in 2018 noted that several residents denied Byrd's death had any relation to racism or hate crimes. Writing for the Pacific Standard magazine, John Savage said:[56]

... a dozen white residents have told me that racial hatred wasn't the principal motivation of Byrd's killers. Most of them say the murder was simply the result of a drug deal gone wrong. King's lawyer made the same argument to the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal ...

On October 7, 1998, an episode of Law & Order titled "DWB" (driving while black) referenced the murder within the plot.[57] Instead of three white supremacists, however, the killers were three white New York City police officers.[57] As the plot goes, the officers stop and arrest a black man for no reason, and then proceed to drag him to his death, after tying him to the car.[57]

In 1999, the documentary Journey to a Hate Free Millennium was created, showcasing three United States hate crimes, including the shootings at Columbine High School; the death of a gay student, Matthew Shepard; and the murder of James Byrd Jr.[58] The same year, the city of Jasper named a local park the "James Byrd Jr. Memorial Park" in his honor.[55]

In 2003, a movie about the crime, titled Jasper, Texas, was produced and aired on Showtime. The same year, a documentary titled Two Towns of Jasper, made by filmmakers Marco Williams and Whitney Dow, premiered on PBS's P.O.V. series.[59]

While employed as a radio DJ at station WARW in Washington, DC, Doug Tracht (also known as the "Greaseman") made a derogatory comment referring to James Byrd after playing Lauryn Hill's song "Doo Wop (That Thing)".[60] The February 1999 incident proved catastrophic to Tracht's radio career, igniting protests from black and white listeners alike. He was quickly fired from WARW and lost his position as a volunteer deputy sheriff in Falls Church, Virginia.[61]

In May 2004, two white teens, Joshua Lee Talley and John Matthew Fowler, were arrested and charged with criminal mischief for desecrating James Byrd Jr.'s grave with racial slurs and profanities.[62] According to a 2023 report in the Texas Tribune, Byrd's grave has been desecrated on at least one other occasion; as a result of the desecrations, his family had a gated iron-railing enclosure placed around it.[55]

Effect on US politics edit

Some advocacy groups, such as the NAACP National Voter Fund, made an issue of this case during George W. Bush's presidential campaign in 2000. They accused Bush of implicit racism, since as governor of Texas, he opposed hate-crime legislation. Also, citing a prior commitment, Bush did not appear at Byrd's funeral. Because two of the three murderers were sentenced to death and the third murderer was sentenced to life in prison (all three of them were charged with and convicted of capital murder, the highest felony level in Texas), Governor Bush maintained, "we don't need tougher laws". The 77th Texas Legislature passed the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act. With the signature of Governor Rick Perry, who inherited the balance of Bush's unexpired term, the act became Texas state law in 2001.[63] In 2009, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act expanded the 1969 United States federal hate-crime law to include crimes which are motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.[64]

Musical and poetry tributes edit

On the 2001 album Pieces of Me by singer-songwriter Lori McKenna, the song "Pink Sweater" is dedicated to Byrd;[65] it condemns his murderers and references their death-penalty convictions with the raucous refrain, "I'll be the one in the pink sweater, dancing around when you're gone." In 2010, Alabama musician Matthew Mayfield wrote, recorded, and released a song in Byrd's honor. The tune, titled "Still Alive", is the fourth track on Mayfield's EP You're Not Home. "Still Alive" clearly related a stark bitterness towards racism and equated such hate crimes with genocide. "Tell Me Why", featuring Mary J. Blige, mentions Byrd on Will Smith's fourth album, Lost and Found.[66] Byrd's son Ross recorded the rap album Undeniable Resurrection and dedicated it to his father.[67]

"Jasper", by Confrontation Camp, is the fifth track on the album Objects in the Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear (2000).[68] "Guitar Drag" by sound artist Christian Marclay is a video- and sound-installation about the murder of James Byrd, in which a guitar was hooked to the back of a truck and dragged down a road, producing feedback and noise.[69] "I Heard 'Em Say" by Ryan Bingham is about Byrd's murder and the racially charged climate around Jasper following the crime (2012).[66]

Byrd's murder is the subject of Maryland poet laureate Lucille Clifton's piece "jasper texas 1998".[70]

The tale of Byrd's murder, and that of Matthew Shepard, are told in a verse of the song "Trouble the Waters" by Big Country on their album Driving to Damascus (named John Wayne's Dream in its US release).[citation needed]

Byrd's murder is depicted in Nia DaCosta's 2021 film Candyman, featuring him resurrected as one of the souls trapped in the Candyman "hive": in his Candyman form, with his skull exposed, Byrd uses the hook and cables involved in his murder to kill his murderers, ascending into legend. Depicted in the film's mid-credits scene in the form of shadow puppetry, Byrd's murder was previously featured in DaCosta's 2020 promotional short film of the same name.[71]

See also edit

References edit

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  2. ^ a b c "Closing arguments today in Texas dragging-death trial". CNN. February 22, 1999. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  3. ^ Robertson, Campbell (April 24, 2019). "Texas Executes White Supremacist for 1998 Dragging Death of James Byrd Jr". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022.
  4. ^ Jackson, David (October 28, 2009). "Obama signs hate-crimes law rooted in crimes of 1998". USA Today.
  5. ^ a b "White supremacist Lawrence Russell Brewer executed for dragging death". CBS News. September 22, 2011.
  6. ^ a b . Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Keys, Perryn (June 7, 2008). . Beaumont Enterprise. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  8. ^ a b Graves, Darrian (December 21, 2018). "Execution date set for John William King for the 1998 dragging death of James Byrd, Junior". KFDM News.
  9. ^ "Texas executes white supremacist who dragged black man to death". CBS News. Associated Press. April 24, 2019.
  10. ^ Teitz, Liz (June 2, 2018). "Byrd's family: Don't forget him". The Beaumont Enterprise.
  11. ^ Stewart, Steve W. (September 3, 2020). "James Byrd, Sr. has died at the age of 95". KJAS Radio. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  12. ^ "James Byrd Jr". Biography.com. A&E Television Networks. July 10, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  13. ^ . KDFM News. October 10, 2010. Archived from the original on February 11, 2011.
  14. ^ Wikstrom, Elaine (October 7, 2010). "Stella Byrd, mother of Jasper dragging victim, dies at 85". Houston Chronicle. Beaumont Enterprise.
  15. ^ Ross, Janell (March 1, 2022). "The Families of George Floyd and Rodney King Didn't Ask to Be Part of History—But They Know They Are". Time. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  16. ^ "Home". Murder Victims Families of Reconciliation. Archived from the original on September 13, 2002. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  17. ^ Jeralyn (July 5, 2002). . Talk Left: The Politics of Crime. Death Penalty. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023.
  18. ^ Leung, Rebecca (May 7, 2003). "Killing Time". CBS News.
  19. ^ a b Santiago, Ellyn (April 24, 2019). "John William King: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  20. ^ Saegert, Rhiannon (April 23, 2019). "Baylor researchers continue work on 1998 Jasper murder as another chapter unfolds". Waco Tribune. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  21. ^ John William King vs. 1st Judicial District Court of Texas, WR-49,391-03 8869C U.S. (2019).
  22. ^ Paul H. Robinson; Shima Baradaran Baughman; Michael T. Cahill (December 31, 2016). Criminal Law: Case Studies and Controversies. Wolters Kluwer. p. 362. ISBN 978-1-4548-8172-8.
  23. ^ a b c . Texas Observer. September 17, 1999. Archived from the original on December 27, 2005. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  24. ^ Duggan, Paul (February 16, 1999). "First Trial Opens in Dragging Death". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  25. ^ Rosenblatt, Josh (July 25, 2013). "Long Road Out of Jasper: A Documentary Chronicles James Byrd Jr.'s Life and Tragic Death". Texas Observer. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  26. ^ a b Boyd, Lorenzo M. "Murder of James Byrd, Jr.". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  27. ^ United States Congress (2012). Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 4774.
  28. ^ Pressley, Sue Anne (June 10, 1998). "Black Man Dragged to Death". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 14, 2018. the bureau is assisting in the investigation because of 'the extreme circumstances' of the case
  29. ^ . CNN. February 16, 1999. Archived from the original on May 8, 2006. Retrieved May 22, 2006.
  30. ^ Time Waster (July 2010). "The Texas Dragging Death". The Smoking Gun. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  31. ^ Skelton, Eleanor (December 22, 2018). "Execution date set for Jasper man convicted in 1998 dragging death of James Byrd, Jr. this spring". KVUE News. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  32. ^ "Prosecutor: Third man took part in slaying". The Victoria Advocate. Associated Press. November 11, 1999. Retrieved April 5, 2022 – via Google News Archive Search.
  33. ^ "Accused Murderer Not Racist, Jury Told". Los Angeles Times. November 16, 1999. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  34. ^ "Too Scared to Halt Dragging Death of Black, Suspect Testifies". Chicago Tribune. November 17, 1999. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  35. ^ . Texas NAACP. Archived from the original on April 30, 2007. Retrieved June 19, 2007.
  36. ^ "Three Accused Tied to Hate Groups". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  37. ^ "Berry, Shawn Allen" (Archive). Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  38. ^ King, Joyce. Hate Crime: The Story of a Dragging in Jasper, Texas. Random House, Inc., 2002. 207. Google Books, Retrieved November 3, 2010. ISBN 0-375-42132-7, ISBN 978-0-375-42132-7.
  39. ^ . Court TV Online. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  40. ^ CNN Wire Staff (September 21, 2011). "Man executed for dragging death of James Byrd". CNN. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  41. ^ "Brewer, Lawrence Russell[permanent dead link]." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on January 5, 2010.
  42. ^ "Brewer, Lawrence Russell June 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on August 25, 2010.
  43. ^ Heather Nolan and Jessica Lipscomb (September 22, 2011). "Lawrence Russell Brewer executed in 1998 dragging death". Beaumont Enterprise. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
  44. ^ Lee, Trymaine (September 21, 2011). "Troy Davis And Lawrence Brewer, A Tale Of Two Executions". Huffington Post.
  45. ^ MANNY FERNANDEZ (September 22, 2011). "Texas Death Row Kitchen Cooks Its Last 'Last Meal'". New York Times.
  46. ^ Batson, Monique; Whitney, rea (April 21, 2019). "Clues, but no firm answers in King's path to infamy". Beaumont Enterprise. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  47. ^ . Justice Fellowship. Archived from the original on March 15, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
  48. ^ McCullough, Josie (April 22, 2019). "John William King ... is set for execution Wednesday". Twitter. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  49. ^ Batson, Monique (April 22, 2019). "Parole board: King should be executed as planned". Beaumont Enterprise. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  50. ^ "Death Row Information". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Government of Texas. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  51. ^ Chamberlain, Samuel (April 24, 2019). "'Avowed racist' offers no last words before execution for dragging death of black man in Texas". Fox News. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  52. ^ You Can Issue It, But Can You Take It When It Comes Back to You? by Maya Sanders, iUniverse, 2013, p.198
  53. ^ "The Only Way to Eradicate Hate". The Watchtower. August 15, 2000. p. 5. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  54. ^ Paul H. Robinson (2005). Criminal Law: Case Studies & Controversies. Aspen Publishers. p. 1176. ISBN 978-0-7355-5075-9.
  55. ^ a b c Salhotra, Pooja; Hernández, Jinitzail (June 7, 2023). "25 years after James Byrd Jr. was killed for being Black, his loved ones question how much has changed in Texas". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  56. ^ Savage, John (June 8, 2018). "The Shocking Legacy of America's Worst Modern-Day Lynching". Pacific Standard. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  57. ^ a b c Quinn, Laura (March 2002). "The Politics of Law and Order". The Journal of American Culture. 25 (1–2): 130–133. doi:10.1111/1542-734X.00020.
  58. ^ Rooney, David (May 8, 2000). "Journey to a Hate-Free Millennium". Variety. Review. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  59. ^ "POV – Acclaimed Point-of-View Documentary Films". PBS. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  60. ^ "The Reliable Source" Annie Groer, Ann Gerhart. The Washington Post. Washington, D.C.: March 18, 1999. pg. C.03
  61. ^ Ahrens, Frank (February 26, 1999). "'Greaseman' Fired After Protests Over Remark". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  62. ^ "State briefs: White teens charged in grave desecration". Houston Chronicle. May 12, 2004. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  63. ^ "Texas governor signs into law hate-crimes bill". The Deseret News. Associated Press. May 11, 2001. p. A2.
  64. ^ . FoxNews.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  65. ^ Davies, Mike. "Lori McKenna – Pieces of Me (Acoustic Roots)". NetRhythms. Retrieved May 14, 2018. Pink Sweater, a song dedicated to James Byrd
  66. ^ a b Rouner, Jef (June 7, 2013). "A James Byrd Jr. Memorial Playlist". Houston Press. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  67. ^ Sachdev, Gian (February 19, 2003). "Byrd on a Wire". Philadelphia Weekly. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  68. ^ Objects in the Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear at AllMusic. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  69. ^ Rees, Christina (June 30, 2015). "Notes on Christian Marclay's "Guitar Drag"". Glasstire. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  70. ^ "jasper texas 1998". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  71. ^ Dessem, Matthew (June 18, 2020). "This Haunting Short Film About Real-Life Racist Killings Is Also a Trailer for Candyman". Slate. Retrieved June 18, 2020.

Further reading edit

  • Smith, Jordan Michael (October 25, 2022). "When is a lynching a lynching?". The Guardian. [Supported by the Pulitzer Center]. Analysis of the 2020 murder of Michael Ronnell Williams in Iowa and the authorities' rejection of it as racially motivated. James Byrd Jr. was a cousin of Williams and his father, James Byrd-Williams Sr.
  • Croucher, Shane (April 20, 2019). "James Byrd Jr. Killer Faces Imminent Execution". Newsweek. Includes information about hate crime reporting and political attitudes
  • Burch, Audra D. S. (July 9, 2018). "In Texas, a Decades-Old Hate Crime, Forgiven but Never Forgotten". The New York Times.
  • Ainslie, Ricardo. Long Dark Road: Bill King and Murder in Jasper, Texas. University of Texas Press, 2004.
  • King, Joyce. Hate Crime: The Story of a Dragging in Jasper, Texas. Pantheon, 2002.
  • Temple-Raston, Dina. A Death in Texas: A Story of Race, Murder, and Small Town's Struggle for Redemption. Henry Holt and Co., January 6, 2002.

External links edit

  • Remember His Name – From Hate To Healing: The Long Road Home documentary in production by Lizard Productions
  • James Byrd Jr. at Find a Grave
  • Jasper, Texas at IMDb   – television movie
  • NAACP National Voter Fund – Campaign ads 2000

January 01, 1970
murder, james, byrd, james, byrd, 1949, june, 1998, african, american, murdered, three, white, whom, were, avowed, white, supremacists, jasper, texas, june, 1998, shawn, berry, lawrence, brewer, john, king, dragged, three, miles, five, kilometers, behind, ford. James Byrd Jr May 2 1949 June 7 1998 was an African American man who was murdered by three white men two of whom were avowed white supremacists in Jasper Texas on June 7 1998 Shawn Berry Lawrence Brewer and John King dragged him for three miles five kilometers behind a Ford pickup truck along an asphalt road Byrd who remained conscious for much of his ordeal was killed about halfway through the dragging when his body hit the edge of a culvert severing his right arm and head The murderers drove on for another 1 1 2 miles 2 5 kilometers before dumping his torso in front of a Black church 1 2 James Byrd Jr Born 1949 05 02 May 2 1949Jasper County Texas U S DiedJune 7 1998 1998 06 07 aged 49 Jasper Texas U S Cause of deathMurder by draggingResting placeJasper City CemeteryOccupationAccount ExecutiveChildren3 Brewer and King were the first white men to be sentenced to death for killing a Black person in the history of modern Texas 3 In 2001 Byrd s lynching by dragging led the state of Texas to pass a hate crimes law which later led the United States Congress to pass the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009 4 Brewer was executed by lethal injection for his part in the murder on September 21 2011 5 King was executed by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville Texas on April 24 2019 6 7 8 9 Berry was sentenced to life imprisonment and will be eligible for parole in 2038 10 Contents 1 Background 2 Murder 3 Perpetrators 3 1 Shawn Berry 3 2 Lawrence Brewer 3 3 John King 4 Reactions 4 1 Effect on US politics 4 2 Musical and poetry tributes 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksBackground editJames Byrd Jr was born on May 2 1949 in Jasper County Texas the third of nine children to Stella Mae Sharp 1925 2010 and James Byrd Sr 1925 2020 11 His mother was a Sunday School teacher and his father was a deacon at the Greater New Bethel Church Byrd graduated from Jasper Rowe High School in 1967 the last segregated class After graduating from high school he married and had three children Renee Ross and Jamie He worked as a vacuum salesman 12 13 14 James Byrd Jr was a cousin of Dennetta Lyles King who was Rodney King s first wife and mother to his daughter Lora King 15 Ross Byrd the only son of James Byrd Jr has been involved with Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation 16 an organization that opposes capital punishment He campaigned to spare the lives of those who murdered his father and appeared briefly in the documentary Deadline 17 18 Murder editOn June 7 1998 Byrd age 49 accepted a ride from Shawn Berry age 23 Lawrence Brewer age 31 and John King age 23 Berry who was driving was acquainted with Byrd from around town Instead of taking Byrd home the three men took Byrd to a remote county road out of town beat him severely 19 spray painted his face 20 urinated and defecated on him 19 and chained him by his ankles to their pickup truck before dragging him for about three miles five kilometers on Huff Creek Road County Road 278 21 Brewer later claimed that Byrd s throat had been slashed by Berry before he was dragged However forensic evidence suggests that Byrd had been attempting to keep his head up while being dragged and an autopsy suggested that Byrd was alive during much of the dragging Byrd died about halfway along the route of his dragging when his right arm and head were severed as his body hit a culvert 2 While almost all of Byrd s ribs were fractured his brain and skull were found intact further suggesting that he maintained consciousness while he was being dragged 22 Berry Brewer and King dumped the mutilated remains of Byrd s body in front of an African American cemetery on Huff Creek Road then drove off to a barbecue 23 A motorist found Byrd s decapitated remains the following morning 24 Along the area where Byrd was dragged police found a wrench with Berry written on it They also found a lighter that was inscribed with Possum which was King s prison nickname 23 The police found 81 places that included portions of Byrd s remains 23 25 Since Brewer and King were well known white supremacists it was determined by state law enforcement officials that the murder was a hate crime 26 They called upon the Federal Bureau of Investigation less than 24 hours after the discovery of Byrd s remains 27 The special agent in charge of the FBI s Houston office said that they were assisting because of the case s extreme circumstances 28 King had several racist tattoos a black man hanging from a tree Nazi symbols the words Aryan Pride and the patch for a gang of white supremacist inmates known as the Confederate Knights of America 29 In a jailhouse letter to Brewer that was intercepted by jail officials King expressed pride in the crime and said that he realized while committing the murder that he might have to die Regardless of the outcome of this we have made history Death before dishonor Sieg Heil King wrote 2 An officer investigating the case also testified that witnesses said that King had referenced The Turner Diaries after beating Byrd 30 Berry Brewer and King were tried and convicted for Byrd s murder Brewer and King received the death penalty while Berry was sentenced to life in prison Brewer was executed by lethal injection on September 21 2011 and King was executed on April 24 2019 5 6 7 31 Perpetrators editShawn Berry edit During the trial of Shawn Allen Berry born February 12 1975 the prosecution conceded that he was not a white supremacist but they argued that he was just as responsible for Byrd s murder as the other men and suggested that he might have been a thrill killer 32 Berry s attorneys had three black men who knew him testify that he was not a racist 33 Berry claimed that Brewer and King were almost entirely responsible for the crime He said he tried to stop them from attacking Byrd until Brewer threatened to do the same to him 34 Brewer however testified that Berry had cut Byrd s throat before he was tied to the truck The jury decided that minimal evidence supported this claim 35 Berry was also the only one of the three to show any degree of remorse 36 As a result Berry was sentenced to life in prison rather than death As of 2020 update Berry was living in protective custody at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice s Ramsey Unit 7 and he will first be eligible for parole in June 2038 by that time he will be 63 years old 37 He spends 23 hours per day in an 8 by 6 foot 2 4 by 1 8 metre cell with one hour for exercise Berry married Christie Marcontell by proxy 38 Lawrence Brewer edit Lawrence Russell Brewer March 13 1967 September 21 2011 was a white supremacist who prior to Byrd s murder had served a prison sentence for drug possession and burglary He was paroled in 1991 After violating his parole conditions in 1994 Brewer was returned to prison According to his court testimony he joined a white supremacist prison gang with King in order to safeguard himself from other inmates 39 Brewer and King became friends in the Beto Unit prison 7 A psychiatrist testified that Brewer did not appear repentant for his crimes During the trial the prosecution labeled him a racist psychopath 40 Brewer was ultimately convicted and sentenced to death 41 Brewer TDCJ 999327 42 was on death row at the Polunsky Unit 7 but he was executed in the Huntsville Unit on September 21 2011 43 The day before his execution Brewer expressed no remorse for his crime as he told KHOU 11 News in Houston As far as any regrets no I have no regrets No I d do it all over again to tell you the truth 44 Before his execution Brewer ordered a last meal that prompted the end of last meal requests in Texas The meal included two chicken fried steaks with gravy and sliced onions a triple patty bacon cheeseburger a cheese omelet with ground beef tomatoes onions bell peppers and jalapenos a bowl of fried okra with ketchup one pound of barbecued meat with half a loaf of white bread three fully loaded fajitas a meat lover s pizza one pint of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream a slab of peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts on top and three root beers When the meal was presented he told officials that he was not hungry and as a result he did not eat any of it The meal was discarded prompting State Senator John Whitmire to ask Texas prison officials to end the 87 year old tradition of giving last meals to condemned inmates The prison agency s executive director responded by stating that the practice had been terminated effective immediately 45 John King edit John William Bill 46 King November 3 1974 April 24 2019 was Berry s longtime friend 26 He was accused of beating Byrd with a bat and then dragging him behind a pickup truck until he died King who prior to the murder had recently been released from a Texas prison said that he had been repeatedly gang raped in prison by black inmates 47 He was found guilty and sentenced to death for his role in Byrd s kidnapping and murder and was on death row at the Polunsky Unit 7 On December 21 2018 King s execution by lethal injection was scheduled for April 24 2019 8 On April 22 2019 his appeals to both the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles were denied 48 49 He was executed at the Huntsville Unit on April 24 2019 50 51 nbsp The condemned perpetrators were held at the Allan B Polunsky Unit nbsp Huntsville Unit where Brewer and King were executedReactions editNumerous aspects of the Byrd murder echo lynching traditions that were common in the post Civil War south These include mutilation or decapitation and revelry such as a barbecue or a picnic either during or after a lynching Byrd s murder was strongly condemned by Jesse Jackson and the Martin Luther King Center as an act of vicious racism It also focused national attention on the prevalence of white supremacist prison gangs 52 Three sisters of James Byrd are Jehovah s Witnesses and in a joint statement said Having a loved one tortured and lynched produced an unimaginable sense of loss and pain How does one respond to such a brutal act Retaliation hateful speech or promotion of hate ridden propaganda never entered our mind We thought What would Jesus have done How would he have responded The answer was crystal clear His message would have been one of peace and hope 53 The victim s family created the James Byrd Foundation for Racial Healing after his death Basketball star Dennis Rodman paid their funeral expenses and gave Byrd s family 25 000 Fight promoter Don King gave Byrd s children 100 000 to be put towards their educational expenses 54 On the 25th anniversary of Byrd s death family members reflected in a 2023 interview for the Texas Tribune that fundraising for the foundation had become much harder as knowledge of Byrd s murder fades one sister reflected that there was less awareness amongst the public of hatred in the community People don t want to fund it because they think there s no hate in the world she was quoted as saying 55 A reporter visiting Jasper in 2018 noted that several residents denied Byrd s death had any relation to racism or hate crimes Writing for the Pacific Standard magazine John Savage said 56 a dozen white residents have told me that racial hatred wasn t the principal motivation of Byrd s killers Most of them say the murder was simply the result of a drug deal gone wrong King s lawyer made the same argument to the Fifth U S Circuit Court of Appeal On October 7 1998 an episode of Law amp Order titled DWB driving while black referenced the murder within the plot 57 Instead of three white supremacists however the killers were three white New York City police officers 57 As the plot goes the officers stop and arrest a black man for no reason and then proceed to drag him to his death after tying him to the car 57 In 1999 the documentary Journey to a Hate Free Millennium was created showcasing three United States hate crimes including the shootings at Columbine High School the death of a gay student Matthew Shepard and the murder of James Byrd Jr 58 The same year the city of Jasper named a local park the James Byrd Jr Memorial Park in his honor 55 In 2003 a movie about the crime titled Jasper Texas was produced and aired on Showtime The same year a documentary titled Two Towns of Jasper made by filmmakers Marco Williams and Whitney Dow premiered on PBS s P O V series 59 While employed as a radio DJ at station WARW in Washington DC Doug Tracht also known as the Greaseman made a derogatory comment referring to James Byrd after playing Lauryn Hill s song Doo Wop That Thing 60 The February 1999 incident proved catastrophic to Tracht s radio career igniting protests from black and white listeners alike He was quickly fired from WARW and lost his position as a volunteer deputy sheriff in Falls Church Virginia 61 In May 2004 two white teens Joshua Lee Talley and John Matthew Fowler were arrested and charged with criminal mischief for desecrating James Byrd Jr s grave with racial slurs and profanities 62 According to a 2023 report in the Texas Tribune Byrd s grave has been desecrated on at least one other occasion as a result of the desecrations his family had a gated iron railing enclosure placed around it 55 Effect on US politics edit Some advocacy groups such as the NAACP National Voter Fund made an issue of this case during George W Bush s presidential campaign in 2000 They accused Bush of implicit racism since as governor of Texas he opposed hate crime legislation Also citing a prior commitment Bush did not appear at Byrd s funeral Because two of the three murderers were sentenced to death and the third murderer was sentenced to life in prison all three of them were charged with and convicted of capital murder the highest felony level in Texas Governor Bush maintained we don t need tougher laws The 77th Texas Legislature passed the James Byrd Jr Hate Crimes Act With the signature of Governor Rick Perry who inherited the balance of Bush s unexpired term the act became Texas state law in 2001 63 In 2009 the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr Hate Crimes Prevention Act expanded the 1969 United States federal hate crime law to include crimes which are motivated by a victim s actual or perceived gender sexual orientation gender identity or disability 64 Musical and poetry tributes edit On the 2001 album Pieces of Me by singer songwriter Lori McKenna the song Pink Sweater is dedicated to Byrd 65 it condemns his murderers and references their death penalty convictions with the raucous refrain I ll be the one in the pink sweater dancing around when you re gone In 2010 Alabama musician Matthew Mayfield wrote recorded and released a song in Byrd s honor The tune titled Still Alive is the fourth track on Mayfield s EP You re Not Home Still Alive clearly related a stark bitterness towards racism and equated such hate crimes with genocide Tell Me Why featuring Mary J Blige mentions Byrd on Will Smith s fourth album Lost and Found 66 Byrd s son Ross recorded the rap album Undeniable Resurrection and dedicated it to his father 67 Jasper by Confrontation Camp is the fifth track on the album Objects in the Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear 2000 68 Guitar Drag by sound artist Christian Marclay is a video and sound installation about the murder of James Byrd in which a guitar was hooked to the back of a truck and dragged down a road producing feedback and noise 69 I Heard Em Say by Ryan Bingham is about Byrd s murder and the racially charged climate around Jasper following the crime 2012 66 Byrd s murder is the subject of Maryland poet laureate Lucille Clifton s piece jasper texas 1998 70 The tale of Byrd s murder and that of Matthew Shepard are told in a verse of the song Trouble the Waters by Big Country on their album Driving to Damascus named John Wayne s Dream in its US release citation needed Byrd s murder is depicted in Nia DaCosta s 2021 film Candyman featuring him resurrected as one of the souls trapped in the Candyman hive in his Candyman form with his skull exposed Byrd uses the hook and cables involved in his murder to kill his murderers ascending into legend Depicted in the film s mid credits scene in the form of shadow puppetry Byrd s murder was previously featured in DaCosta s 2020 promotional short film of the same name 71 See also editDomestic terrorism in the United States Hate crime laws in the United States List of lynching victims in the United States List of people executed in Texas 2010 2019 List of people executed in the United States in 2011 List of people executed in the United States in 2019 List of white defendants executed for killing a black victim Lynching in the United States Race and capital punishment in the United States Racism against African AmericansReferences edit 3 whites indicted in dragging death of black man in Texas CNN July 6 1998 Retrieved May 4 2023 a b c Closing arguments today in Texas dragging death trial CNN February 22 1999 Retrieved May 4 2023 Robertson Campbell April 24 2019 Texas Executes White Supremacist for 1998 Dragging Death of James Byrd Jr The New York Times Archived from the original on March 5 2022 Jackson David October 28 2009 Obama signs hate crimes law rooted in crimes of 1998 USA Today a b White supremacist Lawrence Russell Brewer executed for dragging death CBS News September 22 2011 a b King John William Texas Department of Criminal Justice Archived from the original on June 11 2011 Retrieved August 25 2010 a b c d e f Keys Perryn June 7 2008 KILLERS TEMP Jasper The road back Did prison time turn man into one of Byrd s killers Beaumont Enterprise Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved July 23 2010 a b Graves Darrian December 21 2018 Execution date set for John William King for the 1998 dragging death of James Byrd Junior KFDM News Texas executes white supremacist who dragged black man to death CBS News Associated Press April 24 2019 Teitz Liz June 2 2018 Byrd s family Don t forget him The Beaumont Enterprise Stewart Steve W September 3 2020 James Byrd Sr has died at the age of 95 KJAS Radio Retrieved October 13 2020 James Byrd Jr Biography com A amp E Television Networks July 10 2019 Retrieved June 7 2020 Mother of James Byrd Jr dies KDFM News October 10 2010 Archived from the original on February 11 2011 Wikstrom Elaine October 7 2010 Stella Byrd mother of Jasper dragging victim dies at 85 Houston Chronicle Beaumont Enterprise Ross Janell March 1 2022 The Families of George Floyd and Rodney King Didn t Ask to Be Part of History But They Know They Are Time Retrieved November 25 2022 Home Murder Victims Families of Reconciliation Archived from the original on September 13 2002 Retrieved October 24 2016 Jeralyn July 5 2002 Families of Murder Victims Opposed to Capital Punishment Talk Left The Politics of Crime Death Penalty Archived from the original on June 4 2023 Leung Rebecca May 7 2003 Killing Time CBS News a b Santiago Ellyn April 24 2019 John William King 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know Heavy Retrieved June 26 2019 Saegert Rhiannon April 23 2019 Baylor researchers continue work on 1998 Jasper murder as another chapter unfolds Waco Tribune Retrieved June 26 2019 John William King vs 1st Judicial District Court of Texas WR 49 391 03 8869C U S 2019 Paul H Robinson Shima Baradaran Baughman Michael T Cahill December 31 2016 Criminal Law Case Studies and Controversies Wolters Kluwer p 362 ISBN 978 1 4548 8172 8 a b c Justice in Jasper Texas Observer September 17 1999 Archived from the original on December 27 2005 Retrieved May 22 2015 Duggan Paul February 16 1999 First Trial Opens in Dragging Death The Washington Post Retrieved May 12 2018 Rosenblatt Josh July 25 2013 Long Road Out of Jasper A Documentary Chronicles James Byrd Jr s Life and Tragic Death Texas Observer Retrieved June 30 2020 a b Boyd Lorenzo M Murder of James Byrd Jr Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved May 14 2018 United States Congress 2012 Congressional Record Proceedings and Debates of the Congress U S Government Printing Office p 4774 Pressley Sue Anne June 10 1998 Black Man Dragged to Death The Washington Post Retrieved May 14 2018 the bureau is assisting in the investigation because of the extreme circumstances of the case Texas sheriff knew somebody was murdered because he was black CNN February 16 1999 Archived from the original on May 8 2006 Retrieved May 22 2006 Time Waster July 2010 The Texas Dragging Death The Smoking Gun Retrieved October 24 2016 Skelton Eleanor December 22 2018 Execution date set for Jasper man convicted in 1998 dragging death of James Byrd Jr this spring KVUE News Retrieved December 30 2018 Prosecutor Third man took part in slaying The Victoria Advocate Associated Press November 11 1999 Retrieved April 5 2022 via Google News Archive Search Accused Murderer Not Racist Jury Told Los Angeles Times November 16 1999 Retrieved April 5 2022 Too Scared to Halt Dragging Death of Black Suspect Testifies Chicago Tribune November 17 1999 Retrieved April 5 2022 Jasper Texas NAACP Archived from the original on April 30 2007 Retrieved June 19 2007 Three Accused Tied to Hate Groups The Washington Post Retrieved April 5 2022 Berry Shawn Allen Archive Texas Department of Criminal Justice Retrieved December 28 2015 King Joyce Hate Crime The Story of a Dragging in Jasper Texas Random House Inc 2002 207 Google Books Retrieved November 3 2010 ISBN 0 375 42132 7 ISBN 978 0 375 42132 7 Jurors hear parents tearful plea as they prepare to decide second Texas dragging defendant s fate Court TV Online Archived from the original on October 12 2008 Retrieved June 19 2017 CNN Wire Staff September 21 2011 Man executed for dragging death of James Byrd CNN Retrieved April 5 2022 Brewer Lawrence Russell permanent dead link Texas Department of Criminal Justice Retrieved on January 5 2010 Brewer Lawrence Russell Archived June 11 2011 at the Wayback Machine Texas Department of Criminal Justice Retrieved on August 25 2010 Heather Nolan and Jessica Lipscomb September 22 2011 Lawrence Russell Brewer executed in 1998 dragging death Beaumont Enterprise Retrieved September 22 2011 Lee Trymaine September 21 2011 Troy Davis And Lawrence Brewer A Tale Of Two Executions Huffington Post MANNY FERNANDEZ September 22 2011 Texas Death Row Kitchen Cooks Its Last Last Meal New York Times Batson Monique Whitney rea April 21 2019 Clues but no firm answers in King s path to infamy Beaumont Enterprise Retrieved April 22 2019 Prison Rape It s No Joke Justice Fellowship Archived from the original on March 15 2007 Retrieved February 9 2007 McCullough Josie April 22 2019 John William King is set for execution Wednesday Twitter Retrieved April 23 2019 Batson Monique April 22 2019 Parole board King should be executed as planned Beaumont Enterprise Retrieved April 22 2019 Death Row Information Texas Department of Criminal Justice Government of Texas Retrieved April 22 2019 Chamberlain Samuel April 24 2019 Avowed racist offers no last words before execution for dragging death of black man in Texas Fox News Retrieved April 25 2019 You Can Issue It But Can You Take It When It Comes Back to You by Maya Sanders iUniverse 2013 p 198 The Only Way to Eradicate Hate The Watchtower August 15 2000 p 5 Retrieved May 11 2020 Paul H Robinson 2005 Criminal Law Case Studies amp Controversies Aspen Publishers p 1176 ISBN 978 0 7355 5075 9 a b c Salhotra Pooja Hernandez Jinitzail June 7 2023 25 years after James Byrd Jr was killed for being Black his loved ones question how much has changed in Texas The Texas Tribune Retrieved June 24 2023 Savage John June 8 2018 The Shocking Legacy of America s Worst Modern Day Lynching Pacific Standard Retrieved June 24 2023 a b c Quinn Laura March 2002 The Politics of Law and Order The Journal of American Culture 25 1 2 130 133 doi 10 1111 1542 734X 00020 Rooney David May 8 2000 Journey to a Hate Free Millennium Variety Review Retrieved June 24 2023 POV Acclaimed Point of View Documentary Films PBS Retrieved October 24 2016 The Reliable Source Annie Groer Ann Gerhart The Washington Post Washington D C March 18 1999 pg C 03 Ahrens Frank February 26 1999 Greaseman Fired After Protests Over Remark The Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved November 5 2020 State briefs White teens charged in grave desecration Houston Chronicle May 12 2004 Retrieved October 24 2016 Texas governor signs into law hate crimes bill The Deseret News Associated Press May 11 2001 p A2 Obama Signs Defense Policy Bill That Includes Hate Crime Legislation FoxNews com Archived from the original on October 30 2009 Retrieved October 24 2016 Davies Mike Lori McKenna Pieces of Me Acoustic Roots NetRhythms Retrieved May 14 2018 Pink Sweater a song dedicated to James Byrd a b Rouner Jef June 7 2013 A James Byrd Jr Memorial Playlist Houston Press Retrieved June 5 2018 Sachdev Gian February 19 2003 Byrd on a Wire Philadelphia Weekly Retrieved June 5 2018 Objects in the Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear at AllMusic Retrieved June 5 2018 Rees Christina June 30 2015 Notes on Christian Marclay s Guitar Drag Glasstire Retrieved June 5 2018 jasper texas 1998 Poetry Foundation Retrieved January 30 2019 Dessem Matthew June 18 2020 This Haunting Short Film About Real Life Racist Killings Is Also a Trailer for Candyman Slate Retrieved June 18 2020 Further reading editSmith Jordan Michael October 25 2022 When is a lynching a lynching The Guardian Supported by the Pulitzer Center Analysis of the 2020 murder of Michael Ronnell Williams in Iowa and the authorities rejection of it as racially motivated James Byrd Jr was a cousin of Williams and his father James Byrd Williams Sr Croucher Shane April 20 2019 James Byrd Jr Killer Faces Imminent Execution Newsweek Includes information about hate crime reporting and political attitudes Burch Audra D S July 9 2018 In Texas a Decades Old Hate Crime Forgiven but Never Forgotten The New York Times Ainslie Ricardo Long Dark Road Bill King and Murder in Jasper Texas University of Texas Press 2004 King Joyce Hate Crime The Story of a Dragging in Jasper Texas Pantheon 2002 Temple Raston Dina A Death in Texas A Story of Race Murder and Small Town s Struggle for Redemption Henry Holt and Co January 6 2002 External links editRemember His Name From Hate To Healing The Long Road Home documentary in production by Lizard Productions James Byrd Jr at Find a Grave Jasper Texas at IMDb nbsp television movie NAACP National Voter Fund Campaign ads 2000 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Murder of James Byrd Jr amp oldid 1212705922 Perpetrators, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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