James Byrd Jr. murder case

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As murder James Byrd Jr. is the brutal murder of 49-year-old African American James Byrd Jr. on June 7, 1998 Jasper in the US state of Texas called. The perpetrators were three white men, at least two of whom were supporters of the ideas of White Supremacy (white supremacy) . Shawn Berry, Lawrence Russell Brewer, and John King pulled Byrd over three miles in a pickup truck on an asphalt road. Byrd, conscious for most of this ordeal, died after his body crashed into the edge of a passageway , severing his right arm and head. His killers dragged Byrd's body a mile further before depositing the torso in front of an African-American cemetery in Jasper.

The lynching of Byrd prompted a new passage to be added to the Texas Hate Crime Act . As a result of this crime, as well as the murder of Matthew Shepard , a new federal law against hate crimes was later passed, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act . This law was passed on October 22, 2009 and signed by US President Barack Obama on October 28 .

Berry, Brewer, and King were found guilty of murder. Brewer and King were sentenced to death and Berry to life imprisonment. Brewer was executed on September 21, 2011. King was still on death row ; he had appealed his death sentence. On April 24, 2019, he was executed with lethal injection.

The victim

James Byrd junior was born on May 2, 1949 in Beaumont , Texas, as one of nine children of Stella (1925 - October 7, 2010) and James Byrd senior (1924). born.

family

Ross Byrd, the only son of James Byrd junior, is involved in the organization Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation ("Families of murder victims for reconciliation"), which campaigns against the death penalty . He tried to prevent the execution of the men who murdered his father. He also made a brief appearance in the documentary Deadline , which is about the death penalty in Illinois .

The assassination of Byrd

On June 7, 1998, 49-year-old Byrd got into the car of Shawn Berry, 24, Lawrence Russell Brewer, 31 and John King, 23. Berry, the driver, knew Byrd. But instead of driving him home, they took Byrd to a remote country road outside of town. There they repeatedly beat him, urinated on him, and handcuffed his ankles to their pickup truck . Then they dragged him over a paved road for three miles . Brewer later testified that Berry cut Byrd's throat before they dragged him across the street. However, the result of later forensic investigations strongly suggests that Byrd was trying to keep his head up when he was dragged across the street. The autopsy report states that it is likely that Byrd had been alive during the longest time of the grind. He only died when his right arm and head were severed from his torso as a result of the impact against the edge of a passage . Byrd's skull and brain were found intact, which also suggests that he was conscious during the grinding.

Berry, Brewer, and King deposited the mutilated body in front of an African American church on Huff Creek Road, after which the three of them held a barbecue . In the area where Byrd was murdered, police found a wrench with the name "Berry" on it. She also found a lighter with the inscription "Possum," King's nickname, in prison. The next morning, Byrd's limbs were found scattered across the seldom traveled road. The police found remains of Byrd in 81 different locations. Since the investigative authorities and the District Attorney knew that Brewer and King were two well-known White Supremacists , the murder was quickly viewed as a hate crime . The Federal Bureau of Investigation was notified within less than 24 hours of Byrd's remains being discovered .

King had numerous racist tattoos , including a black man hanged from a tree, Nazi symbols, the words " Aryan Pride," and the logo of a group of inmates called the Confederate Knights of America , who supported the idea of ​​White Supremacy append. In a letter from King to Brewer intercepted by law enforcement officers , King expressed pride in her act and announced that he knew he was going to die when he began the act. He wrote: “Regardless of the outcome of this, we have made history. Death before dishonor. Sieg Heil! ”In German:“ Regardless of how this ends, we have made history. Better dead than dishonorable . Sieg Heil ! ”A police officer investigating the case also testified that witnesses testified that King quoted The Turner Diaries when he beat Byrd.

Berry, Brewer and King were charged and convicted of murder. Brewer and King to death and Berry to life imprisonment . Brewer was executed on September 21, 2011, King on April 24, 2019.

The offender

Brewer and King were in the Allan B. Polunsky Unit until their execution .

Shawn Allen Berry

The driver of the pickup truck, Shawn Berry, caused most of the problems in the process, as there was not enough certainty to prove that he was a racist. Berry himself testified that Brewer and King were solely responsible for the murder. Brewer, on the other hand, testified that Berry cut Byrd's throat before they tied him to the pickup. The jury found, however, that there was little evidence to support this thesis. As a result, Berry escaped the death penalty and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Berry, inmate TDCJ # 00894758 , is currently in the Ramsey Unit in Rosharon . His punishment can no earlier than 7 June 2038 on probation to be suspended. Berry has been in protective custody since 2003. He spends 23 hours a day in a 2.4 × 1.8 m cell. Berry is now married. The wedding ceremony was carried out as a marriage by proxy . He was already in a relationship with his wife at the time of Byrd Berrys' murder. The marriage resulted in a child.

Lawrence Russell Brewer

Brewer was a White Supremacist who was in jail for drug possession and burglary before Byrd's murder. He was paroled in 1991. He was sent back to prison in 1994 for a violation of his probation. According to his testimony at the court, he joined a white supremacy gang there in order to obtain protection from his fellow inmates in the George Beto Unit prison. King was a member of the same gang. Brewer and King became friends. A psychiatrist testified that Brewer had shown no remorse. He was eventually found guilty and sentenced to death. Brewer was held as inmate TDCJ # 999327 on death row of the Allan B. Polunsky Unit . He was executed by lethal injection in the Huntsville Unit on September 21, 2011 .

The day before his execution, he told KHOU 11 News , “As far as any regrets, no, I have no regrets. No, I'd do it all over again, to tell you the truth. ”In German:“ As for any regrets, no, I regret nothing. No, I would do it the same way again, to be honest. "

As a last meal demanded Brewer two chicken cutlet s, a large cheeseburger , a cheese omelet , okra , barbecue -Meat, three Fajita 's, a pizza , ice cream , peanut butter - Fudge , three root beer and various side dishes. However, when the food was brought to Brewer, he claimed that he was not hungry, which is why the numerous foods were discarded untouched. For this reason, John Whitmire, a member of the Texas Senate, asked the director of the State Prison Authority to abolish the practice, stating that the hangman's meal was a privilege for murderers that was not allowed for their victims, and Brewer's appointment was also a mockery of tradition. The request was granted, and since then prisoners in Texas have been given the department's daily special as their last meal.

John William King

King was accused of beating Byrd and dragging him across the street behind the pickup truck until he died. King previously stated that he was raped by black inmates in prison . Although King was not aware of any racist opinions, he joined a white supremacy gang in prison, presumably to obtain protection from his fellow inmates. He was found guilty of involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Byrd and sentenced to death.

King, whose inmate number was TDCJ # 999295 , was on death row in Polunsky Unit . He was executed by lethal injection in the Huntsville Unit on April 24, 2019 .

Reactions to the murder

Many aspects of the murder of Byrd are reminiscent of old lynching traditions. This includes mutilating or beheading the corpse, as well as a feast, such as a barbecue or a picnic , during or after the crime. Byrd's murder was condemned by Jesse Jackson and the Martin Luther King Center as an expression of "the most vicious" of racism . They called for increased attention to the “ prevalence ” of prison gangs promoting white supremacy .

Byrd's family founded turn the James Byrd Foundation for Racial Healing ( James Byrd Foundation for Racial Healing ). The basketball player Dennis Rodman paid the funeral expenses and gave the family of Byrd 25,000 US dollars . The Box - Promoter Don King handed Byrds children $ 100,000 to pay their education expenses.

In 1999, the Belgian film director Chantal Akerman , inspired by William Faulkner's literary works, planned to make a film about the beauty of the American South . However, when she reached Jasper and found out about the brutal murder, she changed the focus of the film. Your film South is about the events surrounding the murder and the history of racist violence in the United States. In 2003 the film Jasper, Texas was produced, which thematizes the murder of Byrd. That same year, a documentary called Two Towns of Jasper premiered on PBS .

The radio DJ Doug Tracht ( The Greaseman ) expressed in February 1999, derogatory comments about James Byrd, after the song Doo Wop of Lauryn Hill had played. This was followed by protests from black and white listeners. He quickly lost his job at WARW radio station in Washington, DC , as well as his position as honorary deputy sheriff at Falls Church , Virginia .

In May 2004, two white were teenagers with racist graffiti on suspicion of Byrd's grave desecrated to have arrested.

Impact on US Policy

Some advocacy groups , such as the NAACP National Voter Fund , which collects election funds , made the case a campaign topic during the George W. Bush presidential campaign in 2000. These groups have accused Bush of hidden racism since he went against the law as governor of Texas used against hate crimes . Another reason was that Bush, contrary to his promise, did not appear at Byrd's funeral. Since two of the three killers were sentenced to death and the third received life imprisonment and all convicted of capital murder , the most serious homicide in Texas, Bush ruled that "we don't need tougher laws."

In the 77th legislature, the James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Act was passed. With the signature of Governor Rick Perry , who succeeded Bush as the Texas governor after his election as US president in 2001, this act became Texas state law. In 2009, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was passed, extending the 1969 Federal Hate Crime Act to include people who are victims of hate crimes because of their gender , sexual orientation , gender identity, or disability .

Musical reception

In 2010 musician Matthew Mayfield released Still Alive in Byrd's honor. This is the fourth song on the You're Not Home album . In the song, Mayfield clearly positions himself against racism and equates such hate crime with genocide . Tell Me Why by Will Smith featuring Mary J. Blige refers to Byrd's murder. The Ballad of James Byrd is another tribute to Byrd, written and recorded by Ross Durand . The rapper ESG refers to Byrd in Realest Rhyming , from his 1999 album Shinin 'N' Grindin ' . Below is the statement: “… let the Klu Klux know that I'mma blast ya / heard how ya done James Byrd down up in Jasper.” In German: “Let the Ku Klux Klan know that I will blow it away like you did it with James Byrd in Jasper. "

The New Hell is a song by the death metal band The Famine , which refers to Byrd, as is the song Jasper from Confrontation Camp from the album Objects in the Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear . Another song is the B-side track 100 Miles of Rollins Band from the album Get Some Go Again . The text describes from the first person perspective a vigilante who kills the murderers of Byrd. Guitar Drag by composer Christian Marclay is an audio and video production about James Byrd. The song I Heard 'Em Say by Ryan Bingham deals with the murder of Byrd and the racially-charged climate in Jasper after the fact.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ CNN : 3 whites indicted in dragging death of black man in Texas, July 6, 1998; Retrieved August 3, 2013
  2. ↑ USA Today : Obama signs hate-crimes law rooted in crimes of 1998, October 28, 2009; Retrieved August 3, 2013
  3. ^ A b CBS News : White supremacist Lawrence Russell Brewer executed for dragging death, September 22, 2011, Retrieved August 3, 2013
  4. ^ A b Profile of John William King ( March 4, 2014 memento on the Internet Archive ) of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice , Retrieved August 3, 2013
  5. ↑ a b c d e Beaumont Enterprise : Jasper: The road back: Did prison time turn man into one of Byrd's killers? dated June 7, 2008; Retrieved August 3, 2013
  6. ^ Press release NBC-News
  7. ↑ KFDM : Mother of James Byrd, Jr. dies ( Memento of May 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) of October 7, 2010, accessed on August 1, 2013
  8. ↑ TalkLeft.com: Families of Murder Victims Opposed to Capital Punishment, July 5, 2002, accessed August 1, 2013
  9. ↑ CBS News : Killing Time, February 11, 2009
  10. ↑ a b CNN : Closing arguments today in Texas dragging-death trial, February 22, 1999, accessed August 4, 2013
  11. ^ Paul Robinson: Criminal Law, Case Studies & Controversies. Harcourt Professional Publishing, New York City 2008, ISBN 0735569274 / ISBN 9780735569270 , p. 204
  12. ↑ Texas Observer : Justice in Jasper ( December 27, 2005 memento on the Internet Archive ), September 17, 1999. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  13. ↑ CNN : Texas sheriff 'knew somebody was murdered because he was black', February 16, 1999
  14. ^ The smoking gun: The Texas Dragging Death, June 9, 1998. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  15. ↑ NAACP : Jasper trial defendant says Byrd's throat cut what ( Memento of 30 April 2007 at the Internet Archive ) of 17 September 1999, Retrieved on August 4, 2013
  16. ↑ Joyce King: Hate Crime: The Story of a Dragging in Jasper, Texas , Random House , 2002, p. 7 ISBN 0375421327 / ISBN 9780375421327
  17. ^ Lawrence Russell Brewer profile ( March 4, 2014 memento on the Internet Archive ) of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice , Retrieved August 1, 2013
  18. ↑ Beaumont Enterprise: Lawrence Russell Brewer executed in 1998 dragging death, September 22, 2011, Retrieved August 1, 2013
  19. ↑ Huffington Post : Troy Davis And Lawrence Brewer, A Tale Of Two Executions, September 21, 2011, Accessed August 1, 2013
  20. ↑ Manny Fernandez: Texas Death Row Kitchen Cooks Its Last 'Last Meal'. In: The New York Times . September 22, 2011, accessed August 7, 2020 .
  21. ^ A b Justice Fellowship: Prison Rape - It's No Joke ( March 15, 2007 memento on the Internet Archive ) , originally from the Washington Post , accessed August 3, 2013
  22. ^ Eli Rosenberg, Lindsey Bever: A white supremacist who murdered James Byrd Jr. was just executed for his 1998 hate crime. The Washington Post , April 24, 2019, accessed April 25, 2019 .
  23. ^ Paul Robinson: Criminal Law, Case Studies & Controversies , Harcourt Professional Publishing, New York City 2008, ISBN 0735569274 / ISBN 9780735569270 , p. 1176
  24. ^ Public Broadcasting Service : Two Towns of Jasper , Retrieved August 5, 2013
  25. ↑ Houston Chronicle : White teens charged in grave desecration, May 12, 2004; Retrieved August 5, 2013
  26. ↑ The Deseret News : Texas governor signs into law hate-crimes bill of May 11, 2001
  27. ^ Fox News : Obama Signs Defense Policy Bill That Includes 'Hate Crime' Legislation ( January 11, 2013 memento on WebCite ), October 28, 2009, Retrieved August 2, 2013