Axios · April 25, 2019
John William King’s execution in 2019
Dated reporting records King’s execution. The case involved three defendants; this update concerns King only.
Entry updated:
1998 · Jasper, Texas
James Byrd Jr.
The racist killing that helped change hate-crime law
Forty-nine-year-old James Byrd Jr. was murdered in Jasper, Texas, in June 1998 after three white men chained him to a pickup truck and dragged him along a road. The killing and subsequent trials exposed racial divisions and helped spur hate-crime reforms.
Content note
Content note: murder, violence and bereavement; some sources discuss sexual violence or harm to children. Linked material may be distressing.
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The Story
When1998
WhereJasper, Texas
In this collection8 resources
Start here.
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Where are they now?
1 itemsAbout these sources
Dated updates, not live custody records. Check the source date before treating information as current.
Nicknames & media names
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Blogs & Essays
Read our articles here and explore outside perspectives, credited to their writers and publications. See this case in the Journal →
From the journal
No reviewed items have been added to this section yet.
Blogs & essays
1 itemsAbout these sources
Outside essays and reading guides reflect their authors’ perspectives. Compare claims with reported and primary sources.
Kirkus Reviews
A DEATH IN TEXAS
A review considers A Death in Texas and its account of James Byrd Jr.’s murder and the response in Jasper.
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Books
CONTINUE YOUR READING
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Books
1 itemsDina Temple-Raston
A Death in Texas
Reported nonfiction about the murder and Jasper’s response to it.
Search Amazon · paid linkExplore this book
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
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Movies & TV
Movies
No reviewed items have been added to this section yet.
TV & documentaries
1 itemsAbout these sources
Episodes, documentaries and title listings. Playback availability varies by service and region.
Whitney Dow and Marco Williams · PBS POV
Two Towns of Jasper
A documentary examining different perspectives in Jasper during the murder trials. PBS provides historical program information; viewing availability is separate.
Search Amazon · paid linkViewing options & episode details
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
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Podcasts & Audio
Podcasts
1 itemsAbout these sources
Audio episodes and oral histories. Personal recollections are attributed perspectives; some services require sign-in.
True Crime Garage
James Byrd Jr. — Part 1 — 163
Direct first episode in the show’s coverage of Byrd’s murder.
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Social Media
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News & Reading
Free & Library Reading
1 sourcesExplore free articles, book previews and library options. The label on each item explains what you can access; a catalog entry does not mean the whole book is free.
Library of Congress · Free Article
Race-Based Crimes | Explore | Drawing Justice: The Art of Courtroom Illustration | Exhibitions at the Library of Congress
Publicly accessible source material and historical context related to this story.
Read Article ↗Reading Access Notes
Search reviewed 2026-09-15. Sources searched: Google Books, Internet Archive, Open Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Magazine, The Atavist Magazine. Search indexing is incomplete; this is not an exhaustive list of the web. Access can change by edition, country and library membership. Library loans may require sign-in or a wait.
A separate Texas Monthly search was blocked by the publisher’s automated-access rules and could not be verified.
News & reporting
1 itemsLos Angeles Times · June 22, 1998
A Father’s Lament
Contemporary reporting on Byrd’s father and the aftermath. Subscription access may apply.
Newspaper clippings
0 itemsFeatured newspaper clipping
No newspaper image has been cleared for display for this case yet. Explore the archive below.
Keep following the newspaper trail.
Search original reporting, follow the trial, and compare how newspapers covered the case over time.
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Internet Archive
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Court & Files
Court records & documents
1 itemsAbout these sources
Documents are labeled by type and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. This collection is not the complete case file.
Court document
King v. Texas — brief in opposition
A state party’s filed brief concerning John William King. This is advocacy in a court filing, not an opinion by the Supreme Court. Contains graphic descriptions.
U.S. Supreme Court docket 18-8970 · April 24, 2019
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Roads Traveled
Roads Traveled
Open case map →Jasper, Texas. The map provides regional context; individually verified historical places are listed below.
Where this story happened
Jasper, Texas
Highlighted states show regional context, not exact addresses. Ontario and regions outside the contiguous U.S. are listed by name.
Explore the interactive case atlas →Boundaries: Natural Earth · public domain
Location research & source notes
This case was added after the September 14 map-source review and has not yet been checked against those sources.
The map shows regional context for this case. No individually sourced historical place is included below.
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Positive Outcome
Positive Outcome
1 itemsAbout these sources
Documented laws, advocacy and reforms. Listing a change does not claim it is effective or universally supported.
Federal · enacted 2009
The federal law named for James Byrd Jr. and Matthew Shepard
The 2009 act strengthened federal hate-crime enforcement and added protected categories. Byrd and Shepard are distinct cases connected to the same law; the act is not a finding about the effectiveness of every resulting policy.
Social Media
No reviewed items have been added to this section yet.