An East Texas town is still haunted by a gruesome hate crime in which a black man was dragged behind a pickup truck and killed by three white men nearly 21 years ago.
In this Wednesday, April 10, 2019, photo Mylinda Byrd Washington, 66, right, and Louvon Byrd Harris, 61, hold up photographs of their brother James Byrd Jr. in Houston. James Byrd Jr. was the victim of what is considered to be one of the most gruesome hate crime murders in recent Texas history.
The towns past will be revisited this coming week, when the convicted ringleader in Byrds slaying is scheduled to be executed. Local leaders insist Jasper is a welcoming place that punished Byrds killers and will never forget what happened to him. But other townspeople, as well as members of Byrds family, believe Jasper has never fully accepted the crimes place in its history. They say some tensions between the white and black communities remain unresolved.
John William King, 44, an avowed racist who orchestrated the attack, is slated to be put to death Wednesday. He will be the second man executed in the case. Lawrence Russell Brewer was executed in 2011. The third participant, Shawn Allen Berry, was sentenced to life in prison. The current interim mayor, Gary Gatlin, recalled how community leaders of all races came together and helped the town heal. It certainly doesnt go away, and we certainly remember what happened, Gatlin said.
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