Murder of James Byrd Jr.
1998 hate crime in Texas / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Murder of James Byrd Jr.?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
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. |
Died | June 7, 1998(1998-06-07) (aged 49) Jasper, Texas, U.S. |
Cause of death | Murder by dragging |
Resting place | Jasper City Cemetery |
Occupation | Account Executive |
Children | 3 |
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]