Murder of James Byrd Jr., Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetMurder of James Byrd Jr.
American murder victim
Date of Birth: 02-May-1949
Place of Birth: Beaumont, Texas, United States
Date of Death: 07-Jun-1998
Nationality: United States
Zodiac Sign: Taurus 
About Murder of James Byrd Jr.
- James Byrd Jr.
- (May 2, 1949 – June 7, 1998) was an African-American man who was murdered by three white supremacists in Jasper, Texas, on June 7, 1998.
- Shawn Berry, Lawrence Brewer, and John King dragged Byrd for three miles behind a pickup truck along an asphalt road.
- Byrd, who remained alive throughout most 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 (2.4 km) before dumping Byrd's torso in front of a black cemetery in Jasper.Byrd's lynching-by-dragging gave impetus to passage of a Texas hate crimes law, which later led to passage by Congress of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr.
- Hate Crimes Prevention Act, commonly known as the Matthew Shepard Act, in 2009.
- Brewer was executed by lethal injection for his involvement in this crime by the state of Texas on September 21, 2011.
- King was executed by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, on April 24, 2019.
- Berry was sentenced to life imprisonment and will be eligible for parole in 2038.
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