Earnest Lackey, Texas man, allegedly tortured to death by members of Aryan Brotherhood

(CBS/AP) TARRANT COUNTY, Texas - Texas police are investigating the death of Earnest Lackey, who was allegedly tortured by members of The Aryan Brotherhood in North Texas last month after he boasted about being a member of the hate gang, CBS DFW reports.

Investigators don't believe race was the motive in the killing of 34-year-old Lackey, who was white. According to police and court records, Lackey was killed because Aryan Brotherhood members were mad that he was falsely claiming to be a part of the white supremacy group.

Three men who said they are members of The Aryan Brotherhood are being held in the Tarrant County Jail. Staten "Monster" Corbett, Jimmy "Jimbo" Riddle and Ronnie Freeman are charged with murder, with bail set at $100,000 for each man.

All three suspects, as well as Lackey, served time in Texas prisons where Aryan Brotherhood affiliations begin, according records from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Corbett was out of prison a month after a drug conviction when Lackey was beaten to death.

Detectives of the Tarrant County Sheriff's Department believe the killing occurred around July 7 in a ramshackle trailer home in the unincorporated area of the county, north of Fort Worth. Lackey's badly decomposed body was found on Aug. 2, next to a discarded boat near Eagle Mountain Lake.

Official records state that Lackey was hogtied and tortured for hours in a trailer house, while two women were ordered to stay in a back bedroom. Investigators said a woman told them she "feared for her life" while hearing "men yelling and what sounded like people fighting in the living room." She said "she specifically heard Lackey yell out as if he was in pain."

The FBI describes The Aryan Brotherhood as a "violent white supremacist gang," first formed in the California state prison system in the late 1960s. It eventually spread throughout the country, both in and out of prisons, and is believed to have settled firmly in North Texas.

Among other things, The Aryan Brotherhood is known for carrying out contract killings, according to the FBI.