1998 Dragging Death

A white supremacist convicted of killing James Byrd Jr. in 1998 by dragging the 49-year-old black man behind a truck in one of the most notorious hate crimes of modern times was executed in Texas on Wednesday.

Two decades after his conviction, John William King was executed Wednesday night in Texas for the murder of the James Byrd Jr., a crime that caught national attention and prompted a national discussion about hate crime legislation.

A white supremacist convicted of killing James Byrd Jr. in 1998 by dragging the 49-year-old black man behind a truck in one of the most notorious hate crimes of modern times was executed in Texas on Wednesday.

Two decades after his conviction, John William King was executed Wednesday night in Texas for the murder of the James Byrd Jr., a crime that caught national attention and prompted a national discussion about hate crime legislation.