Murder of James Craig Anderson
| Murder of James Craig Anderson | |
|---|---|
James Craig Anderson | |
| Location | Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Date | June 26, 2011 |
Attack type | Murder by vehicle, hate crime, beating, robbery |
| Victim | James Craig Anderson, aged 47 |
| Perpetrators |
|
| Motive | Anti-black racism, white supremacy |
| Verdict | All pleaded guilty |
| Convictions | State: Dedmon: Capital murder, hate crime Federal: Dedmon, Rice, Butler: Hate crime act resulting in death All perpetrators: Conspiracy to commit hate crimes Richards: Misprision of a felony |
| Sentence | Dedmon: Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole Blalack: 20 years in prison Rice: 18+1⁄2 years in prison Richards: 8 years in prison Butler: 7 years in prison Graves: 5 years in prison |
James Craig Anderson was a 47-year-old American man who was murdered in a hate crime in Jackson, Mississippi, on June 26, 2011, by 18-year-old Deryl Dedmon of Brandon. At the time of his death, Anderson was working on the assembly line at the Nissan plant in Canton, and raising an adopted son with his partner.
According to police, Dedmon and his friends, a group of white teenagers, robbed and repeatedly beat Anderson before Dedmon ran him over, causing fatal injuries. A motel security camera showed Dedmon and his associates, as well as Dedmon running Anderson over with his truck.
The FBI conducted a high-profile civil rights investigation of Anderson's murder; it led to indictments of 10 persons, including Dedmon, for a conspiracy of several hate crimes against African Americans in Jackson committed from the spring of 2011 to March 2012. Anderson's murder was classified as a racially motivated hate crime. Eventually, all 10 persons were indicted for various combinations of these crimes. They each pleaded guilty and received federal sentences.
Anderson's family asked that the perpetrators of the murder be spared the death penalty. Dedmon was convicted of murder in state court in 2012 and sentenced to two concurrent terms of life imprisonment.
In March 2012, Dedmon, John Rice and Dylan Butler pleaded guilty to federal hate crime and conspiracy charges. In December 2012, William Kirk Montgomery and Jonathan Kyle Gaskamp also pleaded guilty to conspiracy and federal hate crimes for their roles, as well. They were among the 10 indicted for multiple attacks against African Americans in Jackson. On February 10, 2015, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves sentenced Dedmon to 50 years in prison, Rice to 18+1⁄2 years, and Butler to 7 years for their roles in the hate crime. Their federal sentences run concurrently to additional state ones, with the defendants not eligible for parole.