Death Penalty Now Possible For Teen Who Ran Over Black Man With Pickup

The death penalty is now possible for a Mississippi 19-year old who today was charged with a hate crime, after reportedly leading a group of teens and indiscriminately targeting a 49-year old black man, beating him and running him over with a pickup truck several times. Then 18-years old, Deryl Dedmon, Jr., is now charged with a hate crime, along with capital murder. The charges together, if proven, could get Dedmon the death penalty or life in prison.

On June 26, seven white teens, perhaps best-​described as white supremacists, in Jackson, Mississippi, repeatedly and continually beat a black man, then once they were done, took their SUV and ran over him, killing him. The leader of the teens, Dedmon, reportedly raised his fists and shouted “White Power!” as he murdered the 49-​year-​old black man, James Craig Anderson, simply for being black.

READ: White Teens Beat, Then Drive SUV Over Black Man, Killing Him (Video)

“As the teens were partying and drinking miles away from Jackson that night, in largely white Rankin County, Dedmon told friends they should leave, saying ‘let’s go fuck with some niggers,’ according to law enforcement officials,” CNN reported.

“Mississippi officials say it was a racially motivated murder,” CNN added. “What the gang of teens did not know was that a surveillance camera was focused on the parking lot that night, and many of the events, including the actual murder of Anderson, were captured live on videotape.”

The Huffington Post adds today, “Dedmon’s lawyer, Lee Agnew, didn’t immediately respond to a message Wednesday. He has suggested it was an accident.”

District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith has said in the past that he would present evidence to the grand jury about all seven teenagers, but it wasn’t clear if that has been done. It’s also not clear if the grand jury is still reviewing evidence in the case. Grand juries work in secret.

Anderson’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against all seven teens, including two young girls who were allegedly in the truck with Dedmon. Anderson’s sister has asked prosecutors not to pursue the death penalty, saying the family is opposed to capital punishment.

The lawsuit seeks monetary damages, but the family’s attorney, Winston Thompson, said he also wants to make sure all the facts come out. The Southern Poverty Law Center is assisting Thompson with the lawsuit.