Today, twenty years ago, three white men offered James Byrd a ride to the East Texas hamlet of Jasper, and Unfortunately, this was his final journey.
James Byrd Jr. was dragged in agony for miles on a paved road while being tethered to the back of a truck by his ankles.
What occurred with James Byrd?
The incident occurred on June 7, 1998. Byrd was given that fatal ride by three individuals who were later identified as Shawn Berry, Lawrence Russell Brewer, and John William King.
Berry, Brewer, and King made the decision not to take Byrd home and instead traveled east out of Jasper before halting at a tiny clearing in the woods.
Because of the disturbed soil, upturned grass, and shattered beer bottle, all of which indicated a confrontation, investigators were convinced that a struggle had taken place in the area.
The investigators also found a variety of items in the clearing that could have been abandoned during a scuffle or fallen out of a truck while someone was being dragged out.
The three men in the clearing assaulted Byrd, and Brewer sprayed his face black. Following the assault, Byrd was tied to the back of Berry’s pickup truck by his ankles.
Following the back road, the vehicle made a U-turn onto Huff Creek Road’s paved surface. Byrd had been transported about three kilometers.
The autopsy report disclosed the gruesome details of his murder
Byrd’s personal belongings were discovered by the investigators scattered on the tarmac and dirt trail.
His body appeared to have landed awkwardly in a roadside drainage ditch on the right side of the street, striking the rough edge of a concrete culvert slightly below the right arm.
After discarding James Byrd’s dismembered remains in the town’s segregated Black cemetery, King, Berry, and Brewer went to a barbecue.
According to Brewer, Byrd had his neck cut before the dragging.
An autopsy report revealed that Byrd was alive while being dragged and only passed away when his head, shoulder, and right arm were severed upon hitting the ditch.
Where are the perpetrators now?
The next morning, a driver discovered Byrd’s decapitated body.
Police found a wrench along the route where Byrd was dragged, with Berry’s name inscribed on it.
A lighter with the alias Possum, King’s jail nickname, was also found. The police located 81 locations where Byrd’s remains were partially preserved.
State law enforcement officers determined that the murder was a hate crime since Brewer and King were notorious white supremacists.
Less than 24 hours after finding Byrd’s remains, they reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Due to the exceptional circumstances of the case, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Houston office mentioned that they were providing assistance.
All three individuals were found guilty of capital murder following three separate trials. Berry was handed a life sentence, while Brewer and King received death sentences and were executed in 2011 and 2019, respectively.
