The U.S. Attorney issued the following press release:
THREE BRANDON, MISSISSIPPI, MEN SENTENCED FOR THEIR ROLES IN THE RACIALLY MOTIVATED ASSAULT AND MURDER OF AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAN
Victim Died After Being Run Over by Truck
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced today that Deryl Paul Dedmon, 22, John Aaron Rice, 21, and Dylan Wade Butler, 23, all of Brandon, Mississippi, were sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Jackson for their roles in federal hate crime charges in connection with an assault culminating in the death of James Craig Anderson, an African-American man, in the summer of 2011. Dedmon, Rice and Butler each previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act for their roles in the death-resulting assault of Anderson, 47, of Jackson, Mississippi. Dedmon was sentenced to 600 months; Rice was sentenced to 220 months; and Butler was sentenced to 84 months. A restitution hearing will be set for a later date.
“The defendants targeted African-American people they perceived as vulnerable for heinous and violent assaults – hate crimes, motivated solely by race, that shook an entire community and claimed the life of an innocent man,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “These sentences bring a fitting end to the case against these three men. Although nothing can erase the grievous harms inflicted, or ease the grief of the victim’s friends and loved ones, this outcome holds those responsible for these horrific crimes fully to account. And it illustrates the Justice Department’s steadfast commitment to combating hate crimes, supporting victims, and seeing that justice is done – in every case and circumstance.”
“This case demonstrates that the Department of Justice will vigorously pursue those who commit racially motivated assaults and will cast a broad net to ensure that all who commit such acts are brought to justice,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division. “These sentences are just the first three of ten in what we hope will help provide some closure to the victim’s family and to the larger community affected by Mr. Anderson’s death.”
“Hate crimes not only injure the victims and their families, but intimidate entire communities,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis of the Southern District of Mississippi. “The sentences imposed today send a clear message to the community that this office, in partnership with department’s Civil Rights Division, will prioritize and aggressively prosecute hate crimes and other civil rights violations in Southern Mississippi.”
“The guilty pleas and resulting sentences handed down today are the result of the tremendous efforts by men and women in law enforcement who worked on this case,” said Special Agent in Charge Donald Alway of the FBI in Mississippi. “The FBI takes very seriously its responsibility to protect the civil rights of all Americans, and remains committed to its pursuit of justice for anyone who is deprived of those rights."
In prior court hearings, the defendants had admitted that beginning in the spring of 2011, they and others conspired with one another to harass and assault African Americans in and around Jackson. On numerous occasions, the co-conspirators used dangerous weapons, including beer bottles, sling shots and motor vehicles, to cause, and attempt to cause, bodily injury to African Americans. They would specifically target African Americans they believed to be homeless or under the influence of alcohol because they believed that such individuals would be less likely to report an assault. The co-conspirators would often boast about these racially motivated assaults. The defendants further admitted that on June 25, 2011, they and others attended a birthday party in Puckett, Mississippi, for a mutual friend. During the party, the defendants and others talked about going to Jackson to harass and assault African Americans.
By the early morning hours of June 26, 2011, the defendants and four other co-conspirators agreed to carry out their plan to find, harass and assault African Americans. At around 4:15 a.m., Rice, Butler and two co-conspirators drove to west Jackson in a white Jeep with the understanding that Dedmon and two other co-conspirators would join them a short time later. Rice, Butler and the other two occupants of the Jeep then drove around west Jackson and threw beer bottles from the moving vehicle at African American pedestrians they encountered.
At approximately 5:00 a.m., Rice, Butler and the other two occupants of the Jeep spotted Anderson in a motel parking lot off Ellis Avenue. The occupants of the Jeep decided that Anderson would be a good target for an assault because he was African-American and appeared to be intoxicated. Rice and another co-conspirator decided to get out of the Jeep to distract Anderson while they waited for Dedmon and the other co-conspirators to arrive. After Dedmon and the other two co-conspirators arrived in Dedmon’s Ford F250 truck, Dedmon and Rice physically assaulted Anderson. Rice first punched Anderson in the face with sufficient force to knock Anderson to the ground, and then Dedmon punched Anderson in the face multiple times while he was on the ground. After the assault, Rice, Butler and two co-conspirators left the motel parking lot in the Jeep. As they left, one of the occupants of the Jeep yelled, “White Power!” Prior to getting back into his truck, Dedmon responded by also yelling “White Power!”
Once back in his truck, Dedmon deliberately used his truck to run over Anderson, causing injuries which resulted in Anderson’s death. After Anderson’s death, a number of the co-conspirators including Rice and Butler agreed to, and did, give false statements to law enforcement officials about the nature of their interactions with Anderson.
Seven other defendants involved in related cases, William Kirk Montgomery, 25, of Puckett, Mississippi, Sarah Adelia Graves, 21, of Crystal Springs, Mississippi, Shelby Brooke Richards, 21, of Pearl, Mississippi, John Louis Blalack, 20, Jonathan Kyle Gaskamp, 22, Robert Henry Rice, 24, and Joseph Paul Dominick, 23, all of Brandon, Mississippi, are awaiting sentencing.
This case was the result of a cooperative effort among the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi and the Hinds County, Mississippi, District Attorney’s Office. This case was investigated by the Jackson Division of the FBI and the Jackson Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Sheldon L. Beer and Deputy Chief Paige M. Fitzgerald of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and Glenda R. Haynes of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.
20 comments:
Wondering where are all the Rankin and Madison commentators are on this post denigrating Jackson for being THUG central?
Sorry, where's my head today? These were not thugs but good Christian children from two parent homes where being of good morals, having values and respect for human life was stressed over nightly family dinner that were only led astray after watching CMT, um BET!
not only did these niknar morons target black folks, they targeted weak, vulnerable victims rather than venture into the real hoods and seek out some armed ganstas...
hope they go to a really raunchy prison and that they have to enlist in the ABhood for protection and PAY for that protection with some backfield in motion action.
5:01, in answer to your question, let me respond by stating where those people are NOT.
They are not in front of a camera trying to persuade the masses that these "good sweet children" ala Martin, Brown, etc.
Nice try though.
" During the party, the defendants and others talked about going to Jackson to harass and assault African Americans."
Soooo tired of white thugs crossing county lines to commit their crimes in Jackson. I hope the Hinds D.A. issues a strong statement.
I live in rankin county and I think they should all rot in jail.
What they did was vile and disgusting. Vicious behavior from children.
I also place some blame on whoever raised these kids. Children aren't born racist. Hate is taught. I can only imagine the environment these boys were raised in.
What happened to double jeopardy protection. Guess it flew out the window after the civil right war.
Excuse me, 6:54. Whoever raised them? At ages 17-20, these young men will do whatever the hell they want. I know the mothers of 2 of them, and they were raised right. When you have an 18 or 19 year old, they do what they want or what they are persuaded to do.
Furthermore, yes, they made a horrible decision, but how dare you blame the actions of a grown man on their parents.
7:32 is one goofy idiot. " Apples don't fall too far from the tree". Guarantee you the Rankin County parents dropped the N bomb with frequency.
@ 5:25
Hard for Mama June to defend Honey Boo Boo 'nem in front of the camera when this senseless act of inhumanity was caught on camera.
Thank goodness that lil motel in Thug central had cameras, when Ranking county's finest visited that fateful night!
Nicer try though!
6:54 PM, maybe the just watched the news. That did it for me.
7 to 50 years - fair enough, but how does that differ from typical sentences for first degree murder? Did the feds have to handle the case to make sure the thugs got convicted?
And 5:01 - events like this tragedy are so RARE they qualify as "news"; as someone noted it's not 1958 anymore. That doctor's wife who got gunned down bringing in the trash cans last month - that is not so unusual. In black-on-white crime you have to have something like that poor girl who was burned alive in north Mississippi two months ago to make statewide news nowadays.
They were just turning their lifes around. they dindu nuffin! They were goin to college an
Just kidding, hang them. Downtown, on the old river bridge, at the courthouse in Hinds or Rankin. Also hang err'body else that's robbin and stealin and killen around here. Black, white, asian, Albanian, all of 'em.
"Seven other defendants involved in related cases, William Kirk Montgomery, 25, of Puckett, Mississippi, Sarah Adelia Graves, 21, of Crystal Springs, Mississippi, Shelby Brooke Richards, 21, of Pearl, Mississippi, John Louis Blalack, 20, Jonathan Kyle Gaskamp, 22, Robert Henry Rice, 24, and Joseph Paul Dominick, 23, all of Brandon, Mississippi, are awaiting sentencing."
What is sad, is both the girls have had babies since this happened. Blalack went to Prep for about 3 years before having to leave growing up, Dominick was Skylar Lane's boyfriend for a long time (and probably lost her American Idol that year). None of us that knew them, had a clue what was going on, except for the fact they were hanging with the wrong people.
We're going to be paying room and board on these thugs for a long time unless the prison lets them in general population...let them fend against some urban thugs on the yard
8:34, I'll try this again. There's gonna be polysyllables, so buckle up. (Brackets mean paraphrasing-umkay?)
You (5:01): [Why ain't no cracker asses defending these murdering thugs?!]
Me (5:25): [The cracker asses recognize this murder is indefensible. I have personal contacts who have secondary and tertiary connections to these people-they are filled with shame, disgust, horror, and, almost unfortunately to complicate it all-love for their family members. This shame and horror is an acknowledgement of reality. This acknowledgment of the murderous personal flaws and resulting lack of defense stands in contrast to the race relations media narrative hammered out by the "good sweet boy" media that were hear constantly when it's black on white crime.]
You (8:34): [Those cracker ass parents would be doing a Mr. & Mrs. Brown if they had the luxury of the evidence not being on tape!]
Me (now): Wow. Good luck, sir. Good luck.
@ 6:33 AM
Unbuckle; tripartite response with more pejoratives, no equivocation!
The question was posed and you responded by conflating and juxtaposing the Deadly Redneck Crew from Rankin county to the parents of Martin and Brown.
Perhaps your bias is from your derivation (inbreeding) and/or obfuscated by the moonshine you've consumed hidden in the woods behind the TPH (trailer park house not trap house), as Martin and Brown were victims not perpetrators!?
Appellations:
Deceased-Anderson, Martin & Brown
Murderer-Dedmond, Zimmer and Wilson
Polysyllable that!
@5:25....uh, yes they are. Their friends and family members are all over social media with crappy lines like "you guys only get one side of the story"
"the media isn't telling everything that happened"
"these are good kids who have repented, they deserve an opportunity to live their lives and make this right"
"She has a son now, it's not right to take her away from her family" (while posting pictures of her, her now husband, and her infant.
"Murderer-Dedmond, Zimmer and Wilson"
Uh, horse manure.
A jury (Zimmerman) and a grand jury (Wilson) said "no murder".
They had their day in court, and they lost. Big time. Social Justice Warriors just can't stand it when their fraud and lies are exposed by the courts.
Dedmon is a murderer and deserves the 50 years he got. However I question the need for this federal trial since he apparently may get (or has gotten?) two life terms on state charges. Or does the Holder DOJ not believe the Hinds County DA can get a conviction? Or does the Holder DOJ just like spending money unnecessarily to pander to a core constituency?
I say bury Dedmon beneath the jail, and put the others with him in Parchman at hard labor for a long, long time.
9:44, I wrote the post to which you are responding.
I read your post then went back and looked at the original post that got this started.
There's no inbreeding involved, just a flare of anger. That said, I must own an asshat label for what I wrote. I did conflate two different things.
(Murder, however is not one of them-maybe manslaughter re Brown, but not murder by a longshot.)
Strawberry Park Fiorucci said:
"... I live in rankin county and I think they should all rot in jail.
Children aren't born racist. Hate is taught. I can only imagine the environment these boys were raised in."
February 10, 2015 at 6:54 PM
Where did they learn all that hate? From the television, of course. The TV People have dreamed-up an entire set of behaviors for "typical racist white trash Southerners". The cigarette industry learned long ago, that having villians and floozies smoking worked just as well as having heroes and heroines smoking in movies. Because self-hating/low-self-esteem types identify with the villains and floozies, and model their behavior after them.
These kids apparently saw themselves as being the absolute lowest scum of the earth, and picked behaviors Big Media taught them were appropriate for 'Southern White Trash Scum'.
And now, the rest of us are going to pay the price for what those drug-addled little pieces of filth did. They gave ammunition to the people who hate us, and who want to disenfranchise us. Jessica Chambers will soon be forgotten. but none of us will live to hear the last of what Big Media and 'The Powers That Be' will make of this. We'll NEVER hear the end of it.
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