It was ten years ago today that James Byrd Jr. was dragged to his death by three white men in a pick-up truck in Jasper, Texas. It was a racial hate crime. Byrd was reportedly picked up by the men and then beaten, chained by his ankles to a pickup and dragged three miles to his death.

CONVICTED:

John William "Bill" King , 33, of Jasper. An ex-con and white supremacist who was 23 when James Byrd Jr. was killed, King was convicted of capital murder and was sentenced to death. Awaiting execution.

Lawrence Russell Brewer Jr . , 41, of Sulphur Springs. An ex-con and white supremacist who met King in prison. Both joined the Ku Klux Klan and covered their bodies with racist tattoos. The trial for Brewer, 31 at the time of the murder, was moved to Bryan, where he was sentenced to death after being found guilty of capital murder. Awaiting execution.

Shawn Allen Berry , 33, of Jasper. Berry was a 23-year-old movie theater manager when the slaying took place, Berry attended high school with King and was the driver of the truck that dragged Byrd. He was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life. He is segregated from the rest of the general prison population and will be eligible for parole at age 63. BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS