James Byrd

James Byrd, Jr. (May 2, 1949 – June 7, 1998) was an African-American lynched in 1998 by Shawn
Allen Berry, Lawrence Russell Brewer, and John William King in Jasper, Texas, United States. His
murder framed a push for United States federal hate crimes legislation, leading to the October, 23
2009 passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, commonly known
as the Matthew Shepard Act.
On June 7, 1998, Byrd, age 49, accepted a ride from Berry (age 23), Brewer (age 31), and King (age
23). Berry, who was driving, recognized Byrd from around town. Instead of taking him home, the three
men beat Byrd behind a convenience store, stripped him naked, chained him by the ankles to their
pickup truck, and dragged him for three miles. Brewer later claimed that Byrd's throat had been
slashed 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 after his right arm and head were severed after his body hit a culvert. His
body had caught a sewage drain on the side of the road, resulting in Byrd's decapitation.[1]

Berry, Brewer, and King dumped their victim's mutilated remains in the town's black cemetery; the
three men then went to a barbecue. Along the area where Byrd was dragged, authorities found a wrench
with "Berry" written on it. They also found a lighter that was inscribed with "Possum", which was
King's prison nickname.[2] The following morning, Byrd's limbs were found scattered across a
seldom-used road. The police found 75 places that were littered with Byrd's remains. State law
enforcement officials, along with Jasper's District Attorney, determined that since Brewer and King
were well-known white supremacists, the murder was a hate crime. They decided to call upon the FBI
less than 24 hours after the discovery of Byrd's remains.

King's body bore several 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.[3] In a jailhouse letter to Brewer that was intercepted by jail officials, King expressed
pride in the crime and said he realized that he might have to die for committing it. "Regardless of
the outcome of this, we have made history. Death before dishonor. Sieg Heil!", King wrote. An
officer investigating the case also testified that witnesses said King had referenced The Turner
Diaries after beating Byrd.
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.