Ken Tillery

Ken Tillery of Jasper, Texas, was murdered on January 19, 2002. On that night, of his murder, Tillery was outside of a suspected crackhouse, when he was approached by Darrell Gilbert, Blake Little, and Anthony Holmes, and offered a ride in their truck.cite news | author=Jo'El Steven Rouse | title=Sabine grand jury mum on hitchhiker case | publisher=The Beaumont Enterprise| page=A10 | date=2002-01-31] Tillery accepted, but an argument later developed over the gas money he agreed to pay. Tillery expected to pay only $5, but the men demanded $50. When the truck passed Tillery's home and arrived at a gas station, he jumped out and tried to flee, but was caught and beaten by the three men. Tillery's attackers ran him over, and as a result, his body was dragged under the truck for 20 to 30 feet before it separated from the vehicle.

The FBI investigated and ruled out federal hate crime charges. Jasper County Sheriff Billy Rowles concluded, "it was just about drugs and money." [cite news | author= | title=Pineland death is not viewed as hate crime | publisher=The Beaumont Enterprise| page=A10 | date=2002-01-24] Frontpagemag.com and Larry Elder, however, argued that the Tillery case paralleled the James Byrd, Jr. murder four years earlier. They said that Tillery's case did not receive the same national attention because Tillery was white and his assailants were African-American, while on the other hand, Byrd was an African American murdered by white men.

Holmes pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and received a 15-year term. Little was convicted of murder and sentenced to 70 years incarceration. Both are still serving their sentences. Gilbert was sentenced to a 20 years in prison; however, on February 14, 2005, justice came and Gilbert was murdered in the Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice Stiles Unit by fellow inmate Reagan Caldwell. [cite news | author= | title=Inmate Indicted in Prison Murder | publisher=KBTV 4 News | date=2006-04-23]

ee also

*Dragging death

Notes

External links

* [http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=1337 Frontpage magazine article comparing the cases of Tillery and Byrd Jr]
* [http://capmag.com/article.asp?ID=1464 Politically Correct Murder and Media Bias] by Larry Elder, compares the Byrd case to the Tillery case and the media coverage they received.
* [http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=630832 Investigation Into Death of a Sabine County Man Continues] Local ABC affiliate coverage.