1 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 1: You're listening to Facing Evil, a production of iHeartRadio and 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:11,160 Speaker 1: Tenderfoot TV. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast 3 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: are solely those of the individuals participating in the show 4 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: and do not represent those of iHeartRadio or Tenderfoot TV. 5 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:21,280 Speaker 1: This podcast contains subject matter which may not be suitable 6 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:24,160 Speaker 1: for everyone. Listener discretion is advised. 7 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:31,600 Speaker 2: Hello, everyone, welcome back to Facing Evil from Tenderfoot TV 8 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:35,800 Speaker 2: and iHeartRadio. We are your hosts. I'm Roscha Pequerrero. 9 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 3: And I'm the Evet Gentila and here, as always, we're 10 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 3: with our producer, mister Trevor Young. 11 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 1: Hi there. I hope you're surviving the heat. Everyone barely trying. Yeah, 12 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 1: it's bad, but it's just right after a labor day. 13 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 1: And I wanted to throw out one thing that I 14 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 1: did this past weekend. And I don't know if you 15 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 1: guys have ever been to anything like this, but I 16 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 1: went to a nerd con called dragon Con. It's in 17 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:04,320 Speaker 1: Atlanta every year. Have you heard of it. 18 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:06,360 Speaker 2: I wanted to ask you about this, and I'm so 19 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 2: happy that you brought it up because I saw it 20 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 2: in your stories and I'm like, what is dragon Con? 21 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 2: Please tell me all the things. 22 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, So it's a con like comic Con or you know, 23 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: anything like that, but it is very different. It's more 24 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 1: of like a party. So instead of having like a 25 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: big expo haul with all these you know, companies and 26 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 1: Marvel and whoever, like showing whatever their new shows and 27 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:31,920 Speaker 1: movies are, which is kind of like what comic Con 28 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: usually is. Instead, it's just like for the fans entirely, 29 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:38,760 Speaker 1: so people dress up. It's like thousands and thousands of 30 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: people and it really consumes the entirety of downtown Atlanta 31 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:44,039 Speaker 1: for like five days during Labor Day weekend. 32 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:45,759 Speaker 2: Wow, did you dress up? 33 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 1: Yeah? I had. I had a few outfits. It's it's weird. 34 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 1: It's like you can go in normal clothes, but I 35 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: feel like you're missing out, a missing out on a 36 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:55,920 Speaker 1: big part of the fun if you do that. 37 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 2: Right, So, what did you go as? 38 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: I only did two outfits that I kind of recyct 39 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 1: go throughout the weekend. One of them was a character 40 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: from the new movie Everything Everywhere, All at Once, which 41 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: is he's like a chef and he's like controlled by 42 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 1: a raccoon on his head. It's like a spoof of Retitui. 43 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 1: Oh right, right right, And then Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. 44 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 1: Which is really easy. You just like wear a suit, 45 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 1: slick your hair back and put on a poncho. 46 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 2: Pictures or it didn't happen, Trevor. We need to see yo, 47 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 2: see your outfit changes. 48 00:02:25,919 --> 00:02:27,679 Speaker 1: Well, next year you guys are going to Dragon Con. 49 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:29,360 Speaker 1: Let me make it happen. Maybe we can do a 50 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:31,079 Speaker 1: live episode from Dragon Content. 51 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 3: Oh my god, that would be epic. Can't wait, Trevor, 52 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:38,359 Speaker 3: mm hmm. So Trevor, with that, will you please take 53 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 3: us through today's case. 54 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 4: In Texas and the trial of one of the man 55 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:48,079 Speaker 4: chars with ragging to death a black man simply because 56 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 4: of his race. The testimony today was devastating. The suspect 57 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 4: racial hatred was so deep and threatening and well known 58 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 4: to his friends. 59 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 5: When I found out that my dad was brutally killed 60 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 5: by three white supremacists, I was in denial. 61 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:04,919 Speaker 1: I was the numb first. 62 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:07,960 Speaker 4: William Hoover, who served time in prison with King, testified 63 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 4: that King discussed abducting a black man and killing him 64 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 4: to win membership in a racist game. 65 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 1: James Bird Junior was a forty nine year old black 66 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:20,800 Speaker 1: man from Texas who was killed by three white supremacists 67 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 1: In nineteen ninety eight, in the early morning hours of 68 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:27,600 Speaker 1: June seventh, James was walking home from his parents' house 69 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:31,120 Speaker 1: in rural Jasper County after attending a bridal shower for 70 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: his niece. He was offered a ride by three white 71 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: men in a pickup truck, Shawn Berry, Lawrence Brewer, and 72 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 1: John King. The three men did not take Bird home. Instead, 73 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 1: they drove him to a logging road just outside of town, 74 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: where they beat and tortured James to death. Then they 75 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 1: left his lifeless body in front of a church. The 76 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 1: murder of James Burg Junior shocked the nation. Many had 77 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 1: believed that such brutal racial attacks like this were part 78 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: of its Jim crow erab past, and the case sparked 79 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 1: new conversations about lynchings and helped pave the way for 80 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: updated hate crimes legislation. And So, what happened to James 81 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 1: Bird Junior, How did his death serve as a wake 82 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:16,720 Speaker 1: up call for the country, And what lessons about racism 83 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: and violence can we learn today from this difficult story. 84 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:27,799 Speaker 2: So as a reminder, we briefly heard about the case 85 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:32,359 Speaker 2: of James Bird Junior on the Matthew Shepherd episode. So 86 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:38,200 Speaker 2: both cases involved a brutal killing, which were considered hate crimes. 87 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 2: They both happened in the same year, and they were 88 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 2: both included on a key piece of legislation. 89 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:49,599 Speaker 3: But unlike Matthew, this case has a key difference. We 90 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:52,120 Speaker 3: all knew that prejudice thing gets gay people was a 91 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 3: thing back in the nineties, and that violence was a 92 00:04:55,400 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 3: very real possibility for queer people, but we didn't think 93 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:05,680 Speaker 3: that lynchings were still happening. But sadly we learn that 94 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 3: lynchings are not a relic of the past in this country. 95 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:14,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, unfortunately, no. And just quickly, when I think of 96 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:20,839 Speaker 2: a lynching, right, I think of a racially motivated murder, 97 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 2: you know, I immediately picture those horrible you know photos 98 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:29,719 Speaker 2: of you know, the KKK, or these horrible white perpetrators 99 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:33,600 Speaker 2: who like basically celebrated these lynchings. 100 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:33,880 Speaker 1: Right. 101 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:36,920 Speaker 3: It just makes you sick to your stomach, like in 102 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:38,160 Speaker 3: the pit of your stomach. 103 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, and I think, I mean, honestly, this case kind 104 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:44,680 Speaker 1: of does end up looking like that, and it is 105 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:48,080 Speaker 1: one of many that still happens in today's modern era. 106 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:52,040 Speaker 1: I mean, between eighteen eighty two and nineteen sixty eight, 107 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:56,279 Speaker 1: the NAACP said that there were four thousand, seven hundred 108 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: and forty three reported lynchings in the United States and 109 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:03,600 Speaker 1: just reported, so there were almost certainly even more than that. 110 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, so I mean definitely not over. I mean, Trevor, 111 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:12,160 Speaker 3: when I hear that, I think right away about Ahmud Aubrey, 112 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:15,000 Speaker 3: the young man who was killed in twenty twenty, and 113 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:18,240 Speaker 3: he was just you know, jogging through a white, affluent 114 00:06:18,839 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 3: neighborhood and this happened, you know, in Savannah, Georgia. 115 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:26,159 Speaker 1: Yeah, and broad daylight, I mean. 116 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:28,919 Speaker 3: In broad daylight twenty twenty. Here we are again. 117 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:31,799 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I know they classified a mad Arbory's 118 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:34,920 Speaker 1: death as a lynching. They still do happen, even as 119 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: recently as twenty twenty. And I'm sure lots of things 120 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:41,040 Speaker 1: we don't hear about even happening this year. So yeah, 121 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:42,600 Speaker 1: that's why we're here talking about it. 122 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:47,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly. So let's talk about James Burr Junior. He 123 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:50,360 Speaker 2: was a forty nine year old black man who was 124 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:54,320 Speaker 2: born and raised in Jasper County, Texas. He came from 125 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:57,720 Speaker 2: a religious family. His mother was a Sunday school teacher 126 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:01,320 Speaker 2: and his father was a deacon. He graduated from high 127 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:05,000 Speaker 2: school in nineteen sixty seven, and his school was the 128 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:09,680 Speaker 2: last segregated graduating class in the entire high school. So, 129 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 2: you know, he grew up under the Jim Crow laws 130 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 2: in Texas. I can only imagine what that was like 131 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 2: for him and for so many others, you. 132 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 3: Know, coming from a small town like you know, Jasper, Texas, 133 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:26,080 Speaker 3: where the population was only eight thousand, two hundred and 134 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:29,560 Speaker 3: forty seven. I mean it's a small community. 135 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:36,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, Well, anyway, he ended up getting married and 136 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 2: he had three children with his wife, and he worked 137 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:44,520 Speaker 2: as a vacuum salesman, and like many Americans at the time, 138 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:48,480 Speaker 2: he struggled with alcoholism. In the nineteen nineties, he even 139 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:51,560 Speaker 2: spent a brief period in jail for petty theft, and 140 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:55,200 Speaker 2: during his time in jail, he and his wife got divorced. 141 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 2: He was released in nineteen ninety six, and at this 142 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:02,120 Speaker 2: point he was basically in the pro of rebuilding his life. 143 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 1: Right, So at this point he's back in Jasper County 144 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 1: and he's in AA Alcoholics Anonymous, and according to one 145 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:13,280 Speaker 1: report quote, his friends and family described him as a 146 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:18,880 Speaker 1: friendly father and grandfather who was charismatic, musically talented, and generally. 147 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 2: Well liked, So this is where he's at on June seventh, 148 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 2: nineteen ninety eight. He's rebuilding his life. So on this 149 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:29,440 Speaker 2: particular night, it was really late between two and three 150 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 2: in the morning, and he was walking home from his parents' 151 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 2: house and he had been attending a family bridal shower. 152 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:39,319 Speaker 2: So that's when he was offered a ride home by 153 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:43,839 Speaker 2: three white strangers in a pickup truck. Yeah, that's right. 154 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:45,760 Speaker 3: And he had, like you said, he had just come 155 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 3: from this party and I was watching the documentary and 156 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:52,280 Speaker 3: like he was singing and dancing and like just having 157 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 3: like such a great time, you know, and decided to 158 00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 3: leave and you know, walk home, you know, because again 159 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 3: they're in a small town, right. But a witness named 160 00:09:02,559 --> 00:09:05,520 Speaker 3: Steve Scott was driving home around that same time, and 161 00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:08,400 Speaker 3: he said that he saw Bird walking along Martin Luther 162 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:12,000 Speaker 3: King Drive and a few minutes later he saw James again. 163 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 3: This time he was riding in the bed of a 164 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:18,600 Speaker 3: pickup truck with three white men in the cab. So 165 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:20,920 Speaker 3: maybe he knew these guys. 166 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:25,600 Speaker 2: Maybe, but Steve Scott didn't realize the significance of what 167 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:29,040 Speaker 2: he was seeing at the time. But Steve was the 168 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:33,960 Speaker 2: last person ever to see James Bird Junior alive, and we'll. 169 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:35,760 Speaker 1: Pick it up right after we take a quick break. 170 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:43,440 Speaker 2: So James Bird Junior was familiar with one of the 171 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,240 Speaker 2: three white men that offered him a ride home that night, 172 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:49,000 Speaker 2: and so now that makes a little bit more sense 173 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:51,840 Speaker 2: in my mind as to why he jumped in the 174 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:54,680 Speaker 2: back of this particular pickup truck. So the man that 175 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:57,840 Speaker 2: he knew was twenty three year old Sean Berry, who 176 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:01,600 Speaker 2: happened to own the truck. With were John King who 177 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 2: was also twenty three, and thirty one year old Lawrence Brewer. 178 00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:09,400 Speaker 2: And we do know though, that the three men did 179 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:13,640 Speaker 2: not drive James home that night, right. 180 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:17,120 Speaker 1: I mean, as we said at the beginning of the episode, 181 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:20,120 Speaker 1: they drove him out to a logging road just outside 182 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:24,160 Speaker 1: of town and there they beat him, They defecated and 183 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:27,720 Speaker 1: urinated on him, and then they chained him to the 184 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:31,800 Speaker 1: truck by his ankles using a heavy logging chain and 185 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:35,080 Speaker 1: that's when they started to drive. And they drove for 186 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:39,880 Speaker 1: nearly three miles down Huff Creek Road, dragging James behind 187 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:43,800 Speaker 1: his truck without stopping. So after about a mile and 188 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:47,840 Speaker 1: a half, his body hit a culvert and that is 189 00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:52,359 Speaker 1: what eventually killed him. The three men took james remains 190 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:55,440 Speaker 1: and then they left him right in front of a 191 00:10:55,559 --> 00:10:56,920 Speaker 1: predominantly black church. 192 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:00,600 Speaker 3: This is just so sickening. It's like, I don't even 193 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:04,600 Speaker 3: have the words to think that this man was alive 194 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:09,720 Speaker 3: while being dragged behind this truck for a mile and 195 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:10,480 Speaker 3: a half. 196 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:13,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean we know that he didn't die until 197 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:16,320 Speaker 1: he hit that colvert, So yeah, you know, for as 198 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:19,480 Speaker 1: long as I took he was being essentially like tortured, 199 00:11:19,559 --> 00:11:22,240 Speaker 1: being dragged along the ground for that long. Yeah. 200 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:24,160 Speaker 3: And you know, there was there was a documentary that 201 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:27,440 Speaker 3: I was watching with his oldest daughter, Renee, and she's like, 202 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:31,560 Speaker 3: you know, my dad was so strong, she was saying, 203 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:35,480 Speaker 3: because you know he was he was literally trying to 204 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:38,680 Speaker 3: hold his elbows, you know, up from the ground like 205 00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:41,840 Speaker 3: he was. He was trying, you know, to save himself. 206 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:43,559 Speaker 2: Yeah, but he couldn't. 207 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:44,920 Speaker 1: It's just horrible. 208 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:48,200 Speaker 2: I mean, I've known about what happened to James, but 209 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:51,559 Speaker 2: even just hearing you say that word for word, Tchever, 210 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:55,000 Speaker 2: it it like, you know, it puts a pit in 211 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:58,080 Speaker 2: your stomach right, like you just you feel just so sick. 212 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:03,520 Speaker 2: And you know, the one ironic fact that you did mention, Trevor, 213 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:07,439 Speaker 2: is that they did leave. You know, James's remains at 214 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:11,760 Speaker 2: a predominantly black church, and that church was Hoff Creek 215 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:16,680 Speaker 2: Memorial Chapel. And this church was actually the last remaining 216 00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:20,360 Speaker 2: anchor site of the Huff Creek community, which was what 217 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:23,400 Speaker 2: was called or what was known as a freedom community 218 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:26,880 Speaker 2: for black people after the Civil War. And so the 219 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:30,719 Speaker 2: residents of this community were all former slaves and they 220 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:34,079 Speaker 2: built their own homes, their own businesses, their own schools, 221 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:37,640 Speaker 2: and their own churches. And they did that all using 222 00:12:37,679 --> 00:12:42,920 Speaker 2: the very limited resources that they had. And freedom communities 223 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:47,680 Speaker 2: existed all over the South, and they were places for 224 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:53,240 Speaker 2: black people to exist and thrive safely, and they were 225 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:58,520 Speaker 2: usually located in relatively unsafe places during those decades of terror, 226 00:12:58,679 --> 00:13:03,000 Speaker 2: places like for County, Texas. And by nineteen ninety eight, 227 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:06,840 Speaker 2: there was essentially just this one church that was left 228 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:10,480 Speaker 2: and that was the only remnant of that legacy, and 229 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:12,640 Speaker 2: that's where his body was left. 230 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:14,680 Speaker 1: Do y all think that was on purpose? Do you 231 00:13:14,679 --> 00:13:16,960 Speaker 1: think they did this as a as a kind of slight. 232 00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:21,680 Speaker 3: You know, there's a part of me that absolutely thinks, 233 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:25,040 Speaker 3: you know, that it was on purpose. You know, you 234 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:28,880 Speaker 3: could say it was a sad irony, but I believe 235 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:32,160 Speaker 3: someone in that truck knew what they were doing. 236 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:35,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, if nothing else, it says a lot 237 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:39,040 Speaker 1: about the politics of you know, Jasper County and the 238 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:41,200 Speaker 1: kind of history that has taken place there. Right, you 239 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:45,480 Speaker 1: have like two sides of an issue that have been 240 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:49,679 Speaker 1: going on for decades are that are both very much alive. 241 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 2: There's a rich racist history in Jasper County, Texas, at 242 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:55,280 Speaker 2: least that's what it seems like. 243 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:59,080 Speaker 1: Yeah. And then also resilience towards that racism. Yeah, yes, 244 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:01,440 Speaker 1: right now, both the racism and the resilience are both 245 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:06,559 Speaker 1: there in full effect by this nineties. Still, so moving on, 246 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:12,439 Speaker 1: they left James Bird's remains, and then the three men, 247 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 1: James Berry, Lawrence Brewer, and John King left to go 248 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:20,760 Speaker 1: to a barbecue, and James Bird's body was later found 249 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:24,600 Speaker 1: that morning by a driver who was passing by. So 250 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:28,000 Speaker 1: authorities then started to search the area, and they found 251 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:31,800 Speaker 1: a bunch of items strewn about the area belonging both 252 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:36,800 Speaker 1: to James and to his murders. They find a lighter 253 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:39,360 Speaker 1: with the word possum inscribed on it, and apparently that 254 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:43,200 Speaker 1: was King's prison nickname. They also find a wrench that 255 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:45,880 Speaker 1: has Barry's name on it, and Barry was the truck driver. 256 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:48,920 Speaker 1: So then at the end of the logging road they 257 00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:51,640 Speaker 1: find an apparent scene of a fight or beating. It 258 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:54,920 Speaker 1: was like some sort of kind of indent in the 259 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:56,840 Speaker 1: grass or something like that where you could tell some 260 00:14:56,840 --> 00:15:00,680 Speaker 1: sort of scuffle it happened. The grass was like matted down, 261 00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:04,120 Speaker 1: and in that kind of matted area they find a 262 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:07,680 Speaker 1: cigarette lighter engraved with the words possum and also KKK, 263 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 1: as well as another tool with Barry's name on it. 264 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:14,400 Speaker 1: And then they find three cigarette butts, beer bottles, a 265 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:17,360 Speaker 1: whole bunch of things from that truck, and then a 266 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:20,600 Speaker 1: button from James Bird shirt and his baseball caps. So, 267 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:24,200 Speaker 1: I mean, if you're a police officer, this is a 268 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:25,680 Speaker 1: pretty obvious scene. 269 00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:28,560 Speaker 3: Right, Yeah, yeah, this is this is a slam dunk 270 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:30,920 Speaker 3: because these guys were not very good at covering up 271 00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:34,600 Speaker 3: their tracks. But it makes me wonder if they were 272 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:38,200 Speaker 3: even trying. And that's what I was saying earlier, right, 273 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:42,920 Speaker 3: It's like it seems like they definitely, or at least 274 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:45,480 Speaker 3: one of them knew what they were doing, you know, 275 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 3: to James Bird. So I know that during this time, 276 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:51,920 Speaker 3: people in the area are starting to hear about the crime, 277 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:56,080 Speaker 3: and this man, Steve Scott, walks in and you talked 278 00:15:56,080 --> 00:16:00,239 Speaker 3: about Steve Scott earlier Russia, right, the witness, the witness exactly, 279 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:06,760 Speaker 3: And again my thought goes back to somebody in that 280 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:09,640 Speaker 3: truck deliberately knew what. 281 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:11,520 Speaker 2: They were doing. They weren't trying to cover it up 282 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 2: very much. 283 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:14,360 Speaker 3: No, they were not trying to cover it up. 284 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 2: Yeah. 285 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:15,200 Speaker 1: Yeah. 286 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:18,640 Speaker 2: And around that same time police also happened to stop 287 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:23,360 Speaker 2: Sean Berry for a traffic violation. So inside Sean's truck 288 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:26,520 Speaker 2: they find a crucial piece of evidence, a set of 289 00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:29,600 Speaker 2: tools matching the wrench that was found at the end 290 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:34,320 Speaker 2: of the logging road. So they arrest Berry and confiscate 291 00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:38,080 Speaker 2: the truck, and then they find more. They find blood 292 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:40,960 Speaker 2: spatters underneath the truck and on one of its tires, 293 00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:44,720 Speaker 2: matching James Bird's DNA, and then in the truck bed 294 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:47,680 Speaker 2: they find blood on a spare tire, which is also 295 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:51,120 Speaker 2: a match. And then finally in the truck bed itself 296 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:55,200 Speaker 2: there's a rust stain forming in the pattern of a chain. 297 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 3: Right, So there's all this evidence mounting here, and these 298 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:03,280 Speaker 3: guys are also really outspoken white supremacists. 299 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:04,400 Speaker 2: They don't hide it. 300 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:07,240 Speaker 3: They're not hiding it. It's like it's like when a 301 00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 3: you know, a gang member does a hit, and this 302 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:15,439 Speaker 3: is the biggest gang the KKK. Somebody out of the 303 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:18,600 Speaker 3: three of them is trying to make a statement. 304 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:21,040 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, So this goes back to your theory of 305 00:17:21,080 --> 00:17:23,920 Speaker 1: it that you know, one or all of them knew 306 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:26,840 Speaker 1: what they were doing when they killed jamespur Junior. So 307 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:30,119 Speaker 1: after they arrest them, they kind of start to learn 308 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:32,840 Speaker 1: all of these things about them which prove that they 309 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:36,840 Speaker 1: very much intended to do this and had very racist 310 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:41,080 Speaker 1: leanings that would motivate them to do so. So two 311 00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:45,000 Speaker 1: of these guys, Lawrence Brewer John King, according to documents, 312 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 1: John King, who was twenty three, refused to go into 313 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:50,960 Speaker 1: a black person's home and would even leave a party 314 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:55,000 Speaker 1: if a black individual arrived at said party. Wow. And 315 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:58,760 Speaker 1: in prison he was known as quote the Exalted Cyclops 316 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 1: of the Confederate Knights America. I mean, wow, the bell's 317 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:05,920 Speaker 1: going off. Yeah, right, So obviously that's a white supremacist gang. 318 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:10,000 Speaker 1: And then Brewer is also associated with a another white 319 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:14,400 Speaker 1: supremacy group. In prison, both of them have their bodies 320 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:19,400 Speaker 1: covered in racist tattoos, incorporating both KKK and Nazi imagery, 321 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:26,200 Speaker 1: and so understandably, the FBI quickly deems that James Burr 322 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:28,119 Speaker 1: Junior's death is a hate crime. 323 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 3: Yes, absolutely right, absolutely, no doubt this is a hate crime. 324 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:36,400 Speaker 3: But I also want to point out something in their 325 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:40,880 Speaker 3: court photos, where you know, they're all cleaned up. They 326 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:44,720 Speaker 3: look perfectly normal, right, They're trying to appear perfectly normal, 327 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:48,240 Speaker 3: like ordinary guys, which makes me think of how people 328 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:51,720 Speaker 3: who commit acts of racism, I mean, from small acts 329 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:55,560 Speaker 3: to atrocious ones like this one, you know, and this 330 00:18:55,800 --> 00:19:02,640 Speaker 3: was horrible, beyond horrible. They don't necessary look like TV villains. 331 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:04,680 Speaker 2: Right, but what does evil look like? Right? 332 00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:05,359 Speaker 4: Like? 333 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:07,119 Speaker 2: What does that look like like? I'm sure they were 334 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:09,600 Speaker 2: wearing suits that were covering up all of their racist 335 00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:13,080 Speaker 2: tattoos or tatts and everything. Yeah, yeah, what do you think, Trevor. 336 00:19:13,359 --> 00:19:15,800 Speaker 1: I mean, obviously they can hide it if they need 337 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:20,760 Speaker 1: to for a court appearance and whatever else. But I mean, 338 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:22,840 Speaker 1: I guess the point maybe to be made there is that, 339 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:27,440 Speaker 1: you know, really racism can be found anywhere, and even 340 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:28,760 Speaker 1: in places you don't expect it. 341 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:32,679 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, So shifting gears a little bit. So 342 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:38,080 Speaker 2: these three guys were all roommates. So they were roommates who, 343 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:42,000 Speaker 2: as you know you pointed out Evett, apparently could not 344 00:19:42,119 --> 00:19:44,439 Speaker 2: cover up a crime to save their lives, or they 345 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:46,440 Speaker 2: were doing that on purpose. We don't really, they didn't 346 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:49,320 Speaker 2: want to, or they didn't want to. And police end 347 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:54,080 Speaker 2: up searching their apartment and still they find even more evidence. So, 348 00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:56,919 Speaker 2: I mean, this is going to be a surprise to 349 00:19:56,960 --> 00:20:00,640 Speaker 2: no one. But they found racist drawings and writing made 350 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:05,320 Speaker 2: by King, and more crucially, they find their clothing and 351 00:20:05,359 --> 00:20:07,359 Speaker 2: their shoes that they were wearing the night that this 352 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:11,159 Speaker 2: all happened, and DNA analysis reveals that the jeans and 353 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:14,880 Speaker 2: boots worn by Barry that night were stained with blood 354 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:20,440 Speaker 2: matching James Bird Junior's DNA. And then there's another very 355 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:23,080 Speaker 2: large piece of evidence. A friend of the three men 356 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:26,600 Speaker 2: told police that the men hung out behind his trailer 357 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:30,400 Speaker 2: a lot, and when they searched that area behind the trailer, 358 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:34,560 Speaker 2: they found the twenty four foot logging chain that matched 359 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:37,440 Speaker 2: the rust imprint in Sean Berry's truck bed. 360 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:41,080 Speaker 3: Geez, god, you know, I think about this in nineteen 361 00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:43,520 Speaker 3: ninety eight, and I was thinking about where I was living, 362 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 3: and I was in Oregon, and you know, my dad 363 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:50,840 Speaker 3: was living in Oregon as well. And just the fact 364 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:57,800 Speaker 3: that this was happening in nineteen ninety eight was beyond 365 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:01,680 Speaker 3: anything that we could even call brehend. You know, this 366 00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:04,640 Speaker 3: was through and through torture. 367 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:09,080 Speaker 1: I do think the one maybe silver lining to this 368 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:12,480 Speaker 1: taking place in a slightly more modern context like nineteen 369 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:15,640 Speaker 1: ninety eight is that even though you wouldn't expect something 370 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:19,320 Speaker 1: like this to happen in this time, one thing that's 371 00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:22,680 Speaker 1: different is that you're a lot more likely to see consequence. Yes, right, right, 372 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:27,840 Speaker 1: So these people are very quickly identified, they're captured, they 373 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:31,200 Speaker 1: are sent to prison, right like, They face consequences pretty fast. 374 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:32,880 Speaker 1: Whereas you know, in Jim Crow. 375 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:36,639 Speaker 5: Era that might yeah, yeah, I mean you would have 376 00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:40,160 Speaker 5: had probably a very racist, all white jury police force 377 00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:42,200 Speaker 5: that would have done whatever it took to see these 378 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:45,119 Speaker 5: guys to either get off or maybe even avoid getting arrested. 379 00:21:45,119 --> 00:21:48,760 Speaker 3: In very true, very true, Trevor. They got on this 380 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:49,800 Speaker 3: right away. 381 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:53,399 Speaker 2: Yeah, And that was the silver lining. And so you know, 382 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:57,200 Speaker 2: the three men are indicted together on capital murder charges. 383 00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:01,720 Speaker 2: But as the trial begins, crucial cracks begin to form 384 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:06,040 Speaker 2: between the three roommates. Cracks that would impact the rest 385 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:07,240 Speaker 2: of their lives. 386 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:09,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, it gets a little bit dramatic, and we'll talk 387 00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:12,159 Speaker 1: about that right after we take another quick break. 388 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:17,800 Speaker 2: Okay. 389 00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:21,520 Speaker 3: So the trial for the lynching of James Bird Junior 390 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:25,919 Speaker 3: begins February nineteen ninety nine, and one of the first 391 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:29,639 Speaker 3: questions asked I have to ask you this, Trevor, is 392 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:33,840 Speaker 3: why can you take us through this one? I mean, 393 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:38,840 Speaker 3: we know that they're white supremacists, but what moved them 394 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:42,840 Speaker 3: to commit this heinous? Heinous act? 395 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:45,879 Speaker 1: I mean, look, I am never going to try and 396 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:50,360 Speaker 1: empathize or get in the mind of a violent, murderous racist, 397 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:54,560 Speaker 1: but we do know like what they were planning based 398 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:56,520 Speaker 1: off of their writings and things that they had told 399 00:22:56,560 --> 00:23:00,720 Speaker 1: other people. So those writings that they found in John 400 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:04,760 Speaker 1: King's apartment were very important, according to the prosecution. They 401 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:06,879 Speaker 1: included plans for a new hate group that he was 402 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:11,399 Speaker 1: trying to form and recruit for. So the murder was 403 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:15,160 Speaker 1: supposedly his big sort of dramatic act that he would 404 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:18,639 Speaker 1: use to attract media attention and bring in new members 405 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:20,240 Speaker 1: who would want to join his group. 406 00:23:20,440 --> 00:23:20,600 Speaker 4: You know. 407 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:26,000 Speaker 2: Oh so gross. So this jury had something else to consider. 408 00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:30,200 Speaker 2: So Sean Berry, the roommate of these two write supremacists 409 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:33,160 Speaker 2: and the man who owned the pickup truck that dragged 410 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:36,359 Speaker 2: James Bird Junior. He had made a statement to police, 411 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:40,560 Speaker 2: and here's what he said, that John King had not 412 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:43,560 Speaker 2: wanted to pick up James Bird because he was black, 413 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:47,760 Speaker 2: but then King changed his mind. So Barry said that 414 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:49,639 Speaker 2: King was the one who drove the truck to that 415 00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:54,320 Speaker 2: isolated area, and that Brewer and King, not him, were 416 00:23:54,359 --> 00:23:57,800 Speaker 2: the ones who got out and began beating Bird, eventually 417 00:23:57,920 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 2: chaining him to the back of the truck. 418 00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:02,800 Speaker 3: So he puts it all on the other two right, 419 00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:07,200 Speaker 3: right as a bystander. Okay, yeah, right, what a great friend. 420 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:09,760 Speaker 3: But this just reminds me, and we can go back 421 00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:13,520 Speaker 3: to the Matthew Shepherd case. How one of his two killers, 422 00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 3: which was Russell Henderson, basically said it was the other guy. 423 00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:19,919 Speaker 3: So it's the same thing happening all over again. 424 00:24:20,359 --> 00:24:22,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, so somebody else throwing them under the. 425 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:25,600 Speaker 3: Bus, right, but they're all responsible. 426 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:28,199 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean that said apparently in this case. You know, 427 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:31,760 Speaker 1: Sean Berry is supposedly the only one who's not like 428 00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:35,560 Speaker 1: a vowed white supremacist, right, most people don't see him 429 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:38,800 Speaker 1: that way. He doesn't have any sort of weird letters 430 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:42,760 Speaker 1: or plans or manifestos to like start a white supremacist 431 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:46,160 Speaker 1: group like the other guys do. So it's possible somehow 432 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:48,280 Speaker 1: he just ended up along for the ride the night 433 00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:51,480 Speaker 1: this night, and you know, the other two took the 434 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:53,840 Speaker 1: lead in the violence, you know, and just kind of 435 00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:56,720 Speaker 1: going back to Matthew Shepherd, I mean, that was kind 436 00:24:56,760 --> 00:25:00,000 Speaker 1: of a thing for real that night that Aaron McKinney 437 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:03,360 Speaker 1: was the one calling the shots, so to speak, right, right, 438 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:06,600 Speaker 1: And I think maybe that is actually a thing that 439 00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:09,760 Speaker 1: happens in these kind of group dynamics where there's this 440 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:12,080 Speaker 1: sort of you know, group violence that takes place where 441 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:14,159 Speaker 1: one or two people are the ones who are really 442 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:18,159 Speaker 1: the driving aggressors, if you will, right, right, So, I 443 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:21,400 Speaker 1: don't think it's impossible, but it definitely starts to create 444 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:24,920 Speaker 1: rifts in this group as a result. Right. 445 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:28,760 Speaker 2: And to me, though, like I mean, I think we 446 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:32,360 Speaker 2: can all three agree that it doesn't make him any 447 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:36,560 Speaker 2: less guilty because he let it happen, right, But yes, 448 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:40,280 Speaker 2: you're right, like he wasn't the you know, white supremacist 449 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 2: that we know of, but he didn't stop it. Like, yeah, 450 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:46,119 Speaker 2: he might have made this statement, but he didn't do 451 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:47,520 Speaker 2: anything to stop it. Yeah. 452 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:49,720 Speaker 1: Well, Also keep in mind it was his truck, right. 453 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:54,359 Speaker 2: Right, right, that bears his responsibility and his liability, right. 454 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:56,159 Speaker 1: And I mean generally though, it suggest that he was 455 00:25:56,200 --> 00:25:59,000 Speaker 1: the one driving, you know, even if he says he wasn't. 456 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:01,520 Speaker 3: Right, but he so knew James too. 457 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 2: That's probably why James felt comfortable getting in that truck. 458 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:07,800 Speaker 3: Hello, That's what I'm saying. You know, why would he 459 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:10,800 Speaker 3: get into a truck on a dark road walking home 460 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:12,920 Speaker 3: if he didn't know the people. 461 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:15,160 Speaker 2: With three white men in Jasper, Texas. 462 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:19,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's not like he's unaware of racial prejudice and 463 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:20,480 Speaker 3: where he's living, right. 464 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:23,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, Barry's a weird character in the story because he 465 00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:26,440 Speaker 1: I mean, he knew what they were going to do 466 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:29,440 Speaker 1: and he went along with it anyways, So right, I 467 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:31,399 Speaker 1: don't know, it seems like he put James Bird Junior 468 00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:36,720 Speaker 1: in harm's way, either neglectfully or intentionally. And at the 469 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:38,920 Speaker 1: end of the day, I mean, I doubt anybody here 470 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:41,399 Speaker 1: has a ton of sympathy for him or where he 471 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:41,920 Speaker 1: ends up. 472 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:43,520 Speaker 2: No, I'm sorry, I knew not. 473 00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:47,160 Speaker 3: I was watching this documentary and it's called The Life 474 00:26:47,160 --> 00:26:50,560 Speaker 3: and tragic death of James Bird, and it was on 475 00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:54,160 Speaker 3: Amazon Prime and one of the women you know, from 476 00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:56,960 Speaker 3: that community in Jasper was being interviewed. She knew the 477 00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:01,200 Speaker 3: family very well, and she said that, you know, James, 478 00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:04,840 Speaker 3: you know, was likable. He didn't have anybody that hated him. 479 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:08,560 Speaker 3: And she felt like if it would have been anybody 480 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:13,960 Speaker 3: black like walking the streets that night, that it possibly 481 00:27:14,359 --> 00:27:16,240 Speaker 3: could have happened. She said, it could have happened to me, 482 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:20,360 Speaker 3: you know, and that was that was interesting. So when 483 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:24,119 Speaker 3: we go back to you know, white supremacist, you know, 484 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:28,040 Speaker 3: I think that there is that possibility that they were 485 00:27:28,119 --> 00:27:30,400 Speaker 3: just you know, or the other guy was just out 486 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:32,600 Speaker 3: to pick up a black person and do this to them, 487 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:35,200 Speaker 3: and James Bird happened to be in the wrong place 488 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:36,160 Speaker 3: at the wrong time. 489 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:37,360 Speaker 2: Yeah. 490 00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:41,919 Speaker 1: Yeah, So let's talk about the trial. So the jury 491 00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:46,720 Speaker 1: heard from a forensic pathologist with some kind of chilling testimony, 492 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:50,400 Speaker 1: And if you're listening, we're about to get into some 493 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:54,679 Speaker 1: gruesome details of the murder itself. So if you are 494 00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:56,840 Speaker 1: sensitive to that sort of thing, I'd recommend you skip 495 00:27:56,840 --> 00:28:01,240 Speaker 1: ahead about thirty to forty five seconds. So doctor Thomas J. 496 00:28:01,359 --> 00:28:04,720 Speaker 1: Brown testified that James Bird Junior was indeed alive while 497 00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:07,440 Speaker 1: being dragged behind the pickup truck, and that he was 498 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:10,800 Speaker 1: quote suffering horribly and vainly trying to save himself as 499 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:13,600 Speaker 1: he was dragged along by the chain attached to his ankles, 500 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:16,600 Speaker 1: and so parts of his body were also so severely 501 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:21,280 Speaker 1: mutilated from the dragging that they were ground to the bone, 502 00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:24,600 Speaker 1: and James apparently felt every second of it because he 503 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:28,679 Speaker 1: was still alive. So doctor Brown told the court that, quote, 504 00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:31,600 Speaker 1: it is my opinion that mister Bird was alive up 505 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:33,960 Speaker 1: until the point that he hit the culvert. He was 506 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:38,160 Speaker 1: alive when the head, shoulder, and right arm were separated. Wow. 507 00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:41,600 Speaker 1: So of course that happened when he hit the colvert, 508 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:44,880 Speaker 1: which is basically just like a roadside ditch, about halfway 509 00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:47,960 Speaker 1: through that three mile ordeal, and then he was essentially 510 00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:50,520 Speaker 1: kind of bisected at that point. 511 00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:54,760 Speaker 3: It's a lot, yeah, you know, and like I said earlier, 512 00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:58,840 Speaker 3: I mean, he was fighting for his life until he 513 00:28:58,880 --> 00:28:59,840 Speaker 3: couldn't anymore. 514 00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:03,320 Speaker 2: I mean before we dove into this case, you know. 515 00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:06,000 Speaker 2: Of course, you know, we learned a little bit about 516 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:10,160 Speaker 2: it when we did the Matthew Shepherd episode. But all 517 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:12,760 Speaker 2: I had ever heard, like a news or Metea or 518 00:29:12,760 --> 00:29:17,640 Speaker 2: anything was that. You know, James Bird Junior was dragged 519 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:21,479 Speaker 2: behind a truck and decapitated, and it's like, it's so 520 00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 2: much worse than that. And to think that someone or 521 00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:30,320 Speaker 2: some people could do that just because of the color 522 00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:34,760 Speaker 2: of his skin makes me sick to my stomach. And 523 00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:37,240 Speaker 2: that's you know, that's why we're here. We're trying to 524 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:41,719 Speaker 2: shine a light on that darkness. But who HiT's a 525 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:47,360 Speaker 2: lot to stomach, It's a whole lot to stomach. Meanwhile, 526 00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:53,840 Speaker 2: John King is unrepentant, and police detectives say that he 527 00:29:53,880 --> 00:29:58,680 Speaker 2: had spent his time in jail writing racist graffiti and 528 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:01,440 Speaker 2: he even wrote on his door the words and this 529 00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:05,360 Speaker 2: is a quote, Sean Berry is a snitch ash trader 530 00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:09,200 Speaker 2: end quote. He also writes a note to Brewer in 531 00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:12,760 Speaker 2: prison that ends up getting intercepted, and in this note 532 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:17,160 Speaker 2: he says he's proud of the crime, although he realized 533 00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:20,800 Speaker 2: he quote might have to die for it end quote. 534 00:30:21,120 --> 00:30:23,320 Speaker 3: He never truly confessed though, right. 535 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:28,640 Speaker 1: No, this was not a confession, and he didn't testify 536 00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:31,440 Speaker 1: at the nineteen ninety nine trial, although in a letter 537 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:33,800 Speaker 1: to the press he put a bunch of things on 538 00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:37,040 Speaker 1: Sean Berry claiming that Barry picked up Bird to buy 539 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:39,840 Speaker 1: steroids from him, and that Barry then dropped King and 540 00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:42,800 Speaker 1: Brewer off at their apartment and then left again with Bird, 541 00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 1: just the two of them. In this letter, he claims 542 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:48,240 Speaker 1: that he and Brewer are being stereotyped for quote the 543 00:30:48,320 --> 00:30:52,240 Speaker 1: pride we openly express for our race end quote. So yeah, 544 00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:54,920 Speaker 1: he pleads not guilty in the trial, although that note 545 00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:59,600 Speaker 1: is bizarre, but the one about Sean Berry not making 546 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:02,959 Speaker 1: any sense. Nothing in the alibis of all three men 547 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:06,400 Speaker 1: would suggest that any of that information is true. And 548 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:08,600 Speaker 1: then the note suggesting that he's going to have to 549 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:13,200 Speaker 1: die for the crime that he did is somehow not 550 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:16,239 Speaker 1: considered a confession, but I don't know what It's some 551 00:31:16,280 --> 00:31:19,360 Speaker 1: interesting stuff going on. Still, though the three of them 552 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:23,320 Speaker 1: are charged with murder, and King and Brewer get death sentences. 553 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:27,480 Speaker 1: Both were executed by a lethal injection, Brewer in twenty 554 00:31:27,480 --> 00:31:31,760 Speaker 1: eleven and King in twenty nineteen. Barry, on the other hand, 555 00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:34,200 Speaker 1: was sentenced to life in prison and his parole is 556 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:38,600 Speaker 1: set for twenty thirty eight. One interesting thing is that 557 00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:41,720 Speaker 1: many of James Burge Junior's family members were opposed to 558 00:31:41,800 --> 00:31:46,840 Speaker 1: the death sentences. They did not want his murders to 559 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:49,440 Speaker 1: be killed by lethal injection. And they were very outspoken 560 00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:49,920 Speaker 1: about this. 561 00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:54,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, they were, and they are. And not only were 562 00:31:54,640 --> 00:31:59,960 Speaker 2: they opposed, James's son actively campaigned against his father's murder 563 00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:03,880 Speaker 2: is receiving the death penalty, and his daughter, Renee and 564 00:32:04,080 --> 00:32:09,000 Speaker 2: other family members denounced it so loudly. And in twenty eleven, 565 00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:14,720 Speaker 2: after Brewer was executed, James's sister, Betty Boehner told CNN 566 00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:19,200 Speaker 2: that she quote forgave him thirteen years ago end quote. 567 00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:25,280 Speaker 2: At this time, James's son actually joined anti execution protests, saying, quote, 568 00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:30,400 Speaker 2: you can't fight murder with murder. That's pretty amazing that 569 00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:36,440 Speaker 2: their family is that forgiving, in that passionate about trying 570 00:32:36,440 --> 00:32:39,720 Speaker 2: to save lives, even when their their father's life was 571 00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:40,680 Speaker 2: taken from them. 572 00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:42,320 Speaker 1: Yeah. I think if I was going through that sort 573 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:44,000 Speaker 1: of grief, I don't know if I'd have that sort 574 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:48,360 Speaker 1: of you know, levelheadedness or not. You know, obviously, like 575 00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:51,960 Speaker 1: my brain says, like, you know, capital punishment is bad, 576 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:54,600 Speaker 1: But if I was actually going through that, like my 577 00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:57,240 Speaker 1: emotions would be like screaming at me to like get 578 00:32:57,280 --> 00:33:00,360 Speaker 1: revenge essentially, you know, right, So it's pretty fun nominal 579 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:03,080 Speaker 1: that they can get past that in this moment. 580 00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:04,960 Speaker 3: I just have to say one thing. You know, his 581 00:33:05,040 --> 00:33:08,400 Speaker 3: family was very deep in the church, and I think 582 00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:12,440 Speaker 3: their faith and their religion and God, you know, was 583 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:16,040 Speaker 3: a huge thing in this because you know, you can't 584 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:18,160 Speaker 3: fight hate with hate, right. 585 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:21,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, I hadn't thought about that. It's interesting. In two 586 00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:24,240 Speaker 1: thousand and three, which is about five years after their 587 00:33:24,320 --> 00:33:29,240 Speaker 1: dad's murder, James Bird's son and daughter actually went to 588 00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:31,960 Speaker 1: go meet Sean Berry in prison and talk to him 589 00:33:32,080 --> 00:33:36,520 Speaker 1: about their dad and the murder and everything that went down. 590 00:33:36,760 --> 00:33:40,080 Speaker 1: So whereber Sean Berry's in prison for life at this point, 591 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:42,920 Speaker 1: He's probably not getting executed, but he does have parole 592 00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:45,040 Speaker 1: in like fifteen years. 593 00:33:45,360 --> 00:33:49,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, it doesn't seem like it's that far away. Ross 594 00:33:49,320 --> 00:33:54,080 Speaker 2: Bird said that he told Sean Berry quote, you should 595 00:33:54,160 --> 00:33:58,320 Speaker 2: have helped end quote. And they ended up praying together, 596 00:33:58,920 --> 00:34:02,800 Speaker 2: and he said, quote when I walked in the building, 597 00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:05,920 Speaker 2: that's the first thing he did. He wanted to pray. 598 00:34:06,200 --> 00:34:08,880 Speaker 2: And you know, I respect him for that. I respect 599 00:34:08,920 --> 00:34:12,040 Speaker 2: him for saying that he was sorry. End quote. 600 00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:17,280 Speaker 3: That's such a powerful act of forgiveness. The Bird family 601 00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:22,799 Speaker 3: has endured such immense pain. Again, we can't even comprehend, 602 00:34:23,760 --> 00:34:28,520 Speaker 3: you know, but to walk into that prison and pray 603 00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:32,920 Speaker 3: with this man is you know, that is the silver lining. 604 00:34:33,200 --> 00:34:35,720 Speaker 3: And forgive and forgive and forgive. 605 00:34:35,840 --> 00:34:40,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, another silver lining that came from this horrible crime. 606 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:44,200 Speaker 2: You know, as we talked about in the Matthew Shepherd episode. 607 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:47,320 Speaker 2: In October of two thousand and nine, then President Barack 608 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:52,319 Speaker 2: Obama signed the Matthew Shepherd and James Bird Junior Hate 609 00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:56,719 Speaker 2: Crimes Prevention Act into federal law, and this law expanded 610 00:34:56,760 --> 00:35:01,320 Speaker 2: hate crime legislation to also include crimes based on sexual orientation, 611 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:04,120 Speaker 2: gender identity, or disability. 612 00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:08,400 Speaker 3: Also, in Jasper, Texas, they had a graveyard that was 613 00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:14,400 Speaker 3: still segregated back then, and after this horrific act happened, 614 00:35:15,239 --> 00:35:19,319 Speaker 3: they took down that fence and so there was no 615 00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:23,400 Speaker 3: more division between white and black. 616 00:35:24,239 --> 00:35:28,560 Speaker 2: So that was that was huge as well. That's absolutely beautiful, 617 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:37,400 Speaker 2: and that brings us to this week's emua, our final 618 00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:41,400 Speaker 2: message of hope and healing. We'd like to dedicate this 619 00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:45,080 Speaker 2: week's emua to the ohana or the family of James 620 00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:49,840 Speaker 2: Bird Junior. In the years since her father's unjust death. 621 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:54,680 Speaker 2: One of James's daughter's Renee Mullins has become an advocate 622 00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:58,000 Speaker 2: for hate crimes legislation, and she and her brother, Ross 623 00:35:58,080 --> 00:36:02,080 Speaker 2: Bird are still fighting the death penalty even in cases 624 00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:07,479 Speaker 2: that feel unforgivable. Also, James's other daughter, Jamie, has become 625 00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:10,960 Speaker 2: a police officer in Houston, Texas and has written a 626 00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:13,440 Speaker 2: book titled Triumph Over Tragedy. 627 00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:16,279 Speaker 3: It is said that when you hold on to bitterness 628 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:20,759 Speaker 3: and anger, those emotions only end up turning against you 629 00:36:21,480 --> 00:36:28,000 Speaker 3: and against all odds. James Byrd's family they found fortitude, 630 00:36:28,239 --> 00:36:32,680 Speaker 3: and they found a grace that turned their sorrow into 631 00:36:32,760 --> 00:36:36,040 Speaker 3: a fight for change, and that source of that fight 632 00:36:36,680 --> 00:36:38,640 Speaker 3: is love and forgiveness. 633 00:36:39,520 --> 00:36:43,400 Speaker 2: This horrific murder never should have happened. They should not 634 00:36:43,719 --> 00:36:48,280 Speaker 2: have lost their father, their brother, their son, their friend. 635 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:52,000 Speaker 2: But they have taken that loss and that hurt and 636 00:36:52,080 --> 00:36:56,080 Speaker 2: turned it into something so beautiful and so much larger 637 00:36:56,120 --> 00:37:01,120 Speaker 2: than themselves. And for this we honor them on and upward. 638 00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:06,720 Speaker 2: Em Emua. 639 00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:09,520 Speaker 3: Well, that is our show for today, and we'd love 640 00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:12,680 Speaker 3: to hear what you thought about today's discussion And if 641 00:37:12,719 --> 00:37:15,319 Speaker 3: there is a case you'd like us to cover, find 642 00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:18,640 Speaker 3: us on social media or email us at Facingevil Pod 643 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:24,160 Speaker 3: at Tenderfoot dot tv and one request. If you haven't already, 644 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:27,320 Speaker 3: please find us on iTunes and give us a review 645 00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:30,319 Speaker 3: and a good rating. If you like what we do, 646 00:37:30,840 --> 00:37:34,520 Speaker 3: your support is always cherished until next time. 647 00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:35,839 Speaker 2: Aloha. 648 00:37:51,880 --> 00:37:55,560 Speaker 1: Facing Evil is a production of iHeartRadio and tenderfoot TV. 649 00:37:56,480 --> 00:37:59,560 Speaker 1: The show is hosted by Russia Paccuerero in a Vet Schintila, 650 00:38:00,320 --> 00:38:04,040 Speaker 1: Matt Frederick, and Alex Williams, our executive producers on behalf 651 00:38:04,040 --> 00:38:08,840 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio, with producers Trevor Young and Jesse Funk, Donald 652 00:38:08,840 --> 00:38:12,120 Speaker 1: albright In Payne Lindsay our executive producers on behalf of 653 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:18,000 Speaker 1: Tenderfoot TV, alongside producer Tracy Kaplan. Our researcher is Claudia Dafrico. 654 00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:22,480 Speaker 1: Original music by Makeup and Vanity Set. Find us on 655 00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:26,040 Speaker 1: social media or email us at Facing Evil pod at 656 00:38:26,040 --> 00:38:31,080 Speaker 1: tenderfoot dot tv. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio or Tenderfoot TV, 657 00:38:31,719 --> 00:38:35,920 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 658 00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:39,400 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows