[Denver]

One of three men convicted for the murder in 1998 of James Byrd Jr, one of modern America's worst hate crimes, has been executed in Texas.

Byrd, a black man, was beaten, chained to a truck and dragged for miles by three white men.

His murder prompted Congress to pass hate crime legislation in 2009.

John William King, 44, an avowed white supremacist, is the second man to be executed over the killing. He had filed multiple appeals in the case.

On Monday, the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole voted unanimously to deny King a commutation or a 120-day reprieve.

Last October, the US Supreme Court declined to take up his appeal.

King was pronounced dead on Wednesday at 19:08 local time (23:08 GMT) at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville.

Prosecutors depicted King, a self-professed racist with a criminal record, as the ringleader of the group of men who attacked Byrd.

Lawrence Russell Brewer, the other white supremacist who took part in Byrd's killing, was executed in 2011, although King had been sentenced earlier.

The third man, Shawn Allen Berry, was spared the death sentence and is serving a life term as he did not share the white supremacist beliefs of Brewer and King.

He will be up for parole in 2038, US media report.

In the early hours of 7 June 1998, in Jasper, Texas, Byrd, 49, encountered Brewer, King and Berry on the way home from a party.

The three men assaulted Byrd, then chained him by his ankles to the back of a pickup truck and dragged him for several miles until he was dismembered.

Police found parts of Byrd's body in front of a black church just outside the city; the rest was located over a mile away.

Authorities followed a blood trail of evidence - including a lighter engraved with "KKK" and King's nickname, Possum - placing the three men at the scene of the crime.

John William King seen escorted into the Jasper County Courthouse in 1999
During King's trial, prosecutors showed evidence detailing his hatred of black people, including a letter he attempted to send Brewer in jail glorifying their murder, US media reported.

"Regardless of the outcome of this, we have made history and shall die proudly remembered if need be... Much Aryan love, respect, and honour, my brother in arms."

King had spoken of starting a race war and of initiating members of a white supremacist gang he belonged to by having them kidnap and murder black people, court documents showed.

He was convicted by a jury that deliberated for just over two hours.

The case sparked nationwide horror and outrage, and in 2001, Texas passed the James Byrd Jr Hate Crimes Act to toughen punishments for such crimes.

Congress followed, enacting the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 to strengthen laws against crimes motivated by a person's race, colour, religion, sexual orientation, gender, disability or national origin.

King has repeatedly and unsuccessfully tried to appeal his case at the state and federal level. He has maintained he is innocent, blaming Berry alone for the murder, and arguing that his lawyers did not properly defend him.

Jasper's former sheriff, Billy Rowles, told KFDM News that King's execution would finally provide closure for the community.

"It's time... Most of the people in Jasper will believe this is the end of it."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48040916

[Niamh.]

Not a fan of the death penalty but that's a pretty horrific crime

[Denver]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Not a fan of the death penalty but that's a pretty horrific crime

When he was found he was dismembered, his Backside, Knees and Eyebrows were skinned to the bone and his genitals had been completely ground away.

It was believed he was alive for most of the time he was being dragged about

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Adam.

When he was found he was dismembered, his Backside, Knees and Eyebrows were skinned to the bone and his genitals had been completely ground away.

It was believed he was alive for most of the time he was being dragged about

jesus, that's horrifying, poor man.

[Livia]

Took them long enough. That is an horrific crime...

[Liam-]

This crime is the perfect example of why the death penalty is sometimes necessary and deserved, scumbags

[Cal.]

Originally Posted by Liam-

This crime is the perfect example of why the death penalty is sometimes necessary and deserved, scumbags

.

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Liam-

This crime is the perfect example of why the death penalty is sometimes necessary and deserved, scumbags

Nah, the death penalty will always be inherently hypocritical. You can't react in outrage at a murder and then murder the murderer and call it justice.

I'd have much rather this monster had been left rot in prison for the rest of his days.

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by Liam-

This crime is the perfect example of why the death penalty is sometimes necessary and deserved, scumbags

How is this an example of it being necessary?

The murderer has been locked up ever since he committed his crime.

So what was entirely necessary for him to die... 21 years later?

[Denver]

Originally Posted by Marsh.

How is this an example of it being necessary?

The murderer has been locked up ever since he committed his crime.

So what was entirely necessary for him to die... 21 years later?

Because he showed no compassion, he still hated black people and was an unsafe person to have around

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by Adam.

Because he showed no compassion, he still hated black people and was an unsafe person to have around

I gathered that lad. Kind of why he was in prison.

There's many psychos without compassion in the world.

You're showing him no compassion. Can I kill you?

[Kazanne]

Originally Posted by Marsh.

I gathered that lad. Kind of why he was in prison.

There's many psychos without compassion in the world.

You're showing him no compassion. Can I kill you?

No,because Adam hasn't commited such a barbaric murder.

[Denver]

Originally Posted by Marsh.

I gathered that lad. Kind of why he was in prison.

There's many psychos without compassion in the world.

You're showing him no compassion. Can I kill you?

Why should I should compassion for someone who attacked an innocent man and tortured him in horric circumstances because of his skin colour?

[Livia]

Originally Posted by Liam-

This crime is the perfect example of why the death penalty is sometimes necessary and deserved, scumbags

I agree.

[Liam-]

Originally Posted by Livia

I agree.

It’s an Easter miracle

[Livia]

Originally Posted by Liam-

It’s an Easter miracle

LOL... cheeky sod.

[Moniqua]

good riddance

[Epic.]

Rot in hell to the piece of shit

[Kazanne]

Just how low can humanity get, what mindset could do such a thing.That poor man.

[Livia]

You're an argumentative sod today Marshy. Haven't been eating stuff with E numbers in, have you?

[Nicky91]

i don't know what to think of this, he already served his punishment long time behind bars

i guess based upon how cruel his crime was, death penalty might've been a good choice but life sentence without any chance of parole would've also just been a good option, letting him rot behind bars for the rest of his life

[Kazanne]

Originally Posted by Nicky91

i don't know what to think of this, he already served his punishment long time behind bars

i guess based upon how cruel his crime was, death penalty might've been a good choice but life sentence without any chance of parole would've also just been a good option, letting him rot behind bars for the rest of his life

The thing is though Nicky,they don't 'rot' in jail do they,some of them get a lot of things they would not have on the outside.

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by Kazanne

The thing is though Nicky,they don't 'rot' in jail do they,some of them get a lot of things they would not have on the outside.

Such as?

[Nicky91]

Originally Posted by Kazanne

The thing is though Nicky,they don't 'rot' in jail do they,some of them get a lot of things they would not have on the outside.

yes i've seen that, but some criminals can change for the good again

as seen in pitbull & parolees, of course they were arrested for lesser crimes, although some had been in prison for armed robbery, and want to be good people again

i like how they got dog training programs in some US jails now, it gives the inmates a chance to do something good for society, and working punishments are great punishments for the lesser crime inmates

[Livia]

You commit a crime, you get punished. In this case the crime was serious enough for him to have his life ended. That is not murder. The moral of this story is, don't be a filthy racist murderer, and you won't have to face a death sentence yourself.

There are innocents all over the world dying, I'm not going to spend any time worrying about someone who virtually tortured a man to death because he was a different colour.