Dragging Death Raises Tensions In Texas

Black Man Killed Underneath Pickup Truck; Two White Men Charged With Murder

(AP)  In a gruesome case with powerful echoes of the dragging death of James Byrd a decade ago, a black man was killed underneath a pickup truck in East Texas and two white men have been charged with murder.

Black activists and the victim's mother are calling last month's killing of 24-year-old Brandon McClelland a racist attack. But prosecutors cast strong doubt on that Friday.

McClelland died after going with two white friends on a late-night beer run across the state line to Oklahoma, investigators said. Authorities said he was run over and dragged as far as 70 feet beneath the truck. His torn-apart body was discovered along a bloodstained rural road on Sept. 16. His mother said pieces of his skull could still be found three days later.

The case has raised racial tensions in Paris, a town of 26,000 with a history of fraught relations between blacks and whites.

To some, it sounded like the Byrd case, in which a black man in the East Texas town of Jasper, about 200 miles south of Paris, was chained by the ankles to the back of a pickup by three white supremacists and dragged for three miles. Two of the killers are now on death row; the third is serving a life sentence.

Prosecutors in the McClelland case said they are looking into whether one of the defendants, Shannon Keith Finley, was in a white supremacist gang while in prison for killing a friend.

But they said they have seen no evidence so far that McClelland's slaying was racially motivated. And they noted the three men had been friends for years.

"This is a group of guys who had black friends and white friends," said Allan Hubbard, a spokesman for the Lamar County district attorney's office. He added: "Any comparison to Jasper and James Byrd is preposterous."

Autopsy results are expected back next week. While investigators don't believe McClelland was tied to the truck, they planned to look closely for marks on the body that would indicate precisely how he was dragged.

Community activist Brenda Cherry said authorities have not seriously considered the possibility this was a hate crime. "There's a problem in Paris, Texas," she said. "I don't see a difference in getting dragged behind a truck and getting dragged under a truck."

A flier advertising a Saturday memorial service for McClelland said he was "the victim of a brutal and racist hate crime." The New Black Panthers met with investigators and held a news conference at the courthouse promising to examine the killing.

"I truly feel that race played a part in it," said the victim's mother, Jacquline McClelland. "It is a racist town, and Paris has always been a racist town."

The city is perhaps best known for its 70-foot Eiffel Tower replica topped by a giant red cowboy hat. Paris, which is 73 percent white and 22 percent black, was in the news last year after a black girl was sentenced to up to seven years in a juvenile prison hundreds of miles from her home for shoving a teacher's aide at school, while a white girl was sentenced by the same judge to probation for burning down her parents' house.

At the town square, decorated with pumpkins and hay bales for Halloween, the mother of the black girl said Friday that she began to feel Paris was a racist town after moving there from Oklahoma.

"There's a certain amount of fear that is pressed into black people when they live in Paris," said Creola Cotton.

According to court papers, Finley and Charles Ryan Crostley, both 27, told police they left the dry town to get beer in Oklahoma, and on the way back, the three men, all apparently drunk, argued about who was sober enough to drive. McClelland, an unmarried maintenance worker, decided to walk home, taking some beer with him, the men told police.

But Finley's estranged wife and one of his friends said they had been told by the two defendants that Finley began to bump McClelland with the front of his truck until McClelland fell, and Finley drove over him, according to court papers. Crostley and Finley then allegedly drove to a car wash to clean off the blood.

Crostley and Finley are jailed on charges of murder and evidence-tampering. Finley's attorney did not immediately return a message. There was no answer at the phone listing for Crostley's lawyer.

As in many small towns, some of the players are connected. The district attorney, Gary Young, was once the court-appointed lawyer for Finley, who was charged with murder in 2003. Finley eventually pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to four years.

In that same case, McClelland pleaded guilty to perjury for providing a false alibi for Finley. He was sentenced to five years' probation but served some jail time when he violated its terms, prosecutor Bill Harris said.

McClelland's mother said that on the day her son died, he had called Finley to ask for his help on a home repair project at another friend's house.

"For the life of me, I cannot understand it," she said. "They didn't have to run over and kill my baby. They could have brought him home."

[dixxson]

The press keeps making comments about their alleged "Friendship!
That has nothing to do with the fact that he ran over Him!
Husbands, Wives, Siblings, Cousins Grandparents, were usually once friends.
They still kill each other! Friends are The first "Police Suspects!
What if the "Black had killed his "White Friend".
Would the Friendship Be a "Relevant Question? ("NO").
This is the "PRESS" being as Racist as the state of TEXAS, and participating in, and facilitating a Ridiculous Smoke Screen!
The Black Man who Ran of the Bridge in a Rain Storm down their,
Lost half his family to the River, Gets Mistreated, Criminally Charged!
In any State if you kill someone with your car while Intoxicated,
The charge is "Murder".
The DEATH BELT states are "Notorious" for "Prosecuting" the innocent,
(SILLY PUTTY MOMS) while ensuring the "Guilty" with (BODIES IN SUITCASES)
"GET OFF SCOTT FREE".

[dixxson]

The press keeps making comments about their alleged "Friendship!
That has nothing to do with the fact that he ran over Him!
Husbands, Wives, Siblings, Cousins Grandparents, were usually once friends.
They still kill each other! Friends are The first "Police Suspects!
What if the "Black had killed his "White Friend".
Would the Friendship Be a "Relevant Question? ("NO").
This is the "PRESS" being as Racist as the state of TEXAS, and participating in, and facilitating a Ridiculous Smoke Screen!
The Black Man who Ran of the Bridge in a Rain Storm down their,
Lost half his family to the River, Gets Mistreated, Criminally Charged!
In any State if you kill someone with your car while Intoxicated,
The charge is "Murder".
The DEATH BELT states are "Notorious" for "Prosecuting" the innocent,
(SILLY PUTTY MOMS) while ensuring the "Guilty" with (BODIES IN SUITCASES)
"GET OFF SCOTT FREE".

[reedtaz73]

If Texas is so bad, then why does everyone keep coming here? I am not racial and can tell you there are more people who are black that are racial in Texas than those who are white. This is an obvious drunken bad decision and not a case of racialism. People use color for an excuse for everything. Get over it and look at the facts.
texasisbetter

I''ve lived in Texas my whole life and that whole post is hogwash...You know it''s true so quit lying about Texas.

[hailrzr43]

Forex07 wrote that the klan is behind this crime for sure,they are ecery where, but most live near Crawford Ranch, and most vote Bush. So fellow the Klan isn''t behind this at least know one from my klaburn has told me that so you just keep thinking that, and the UWK is only an hour away from Paris Texas so you need to do your research before you go to kicking in doors, before the door that gets kicked in is your own. As to voting for Bush yes you are totally correct on that one and we will all turn out to vote McCain into office.But it isn''t because of the fack that Obama is black its due to the fact that Obama is UN_ AMERICAN. signed I.W.U.W.K.

[downsteamjim]

Hey niceface09: In the earlier dragging death of James Byrd, George Bush wanted to execute the criminals who did it. Liberals oppose that instead they would rather have new hate crime legislation.

[texasisbette]

If Texas is so bad, then why does everyone keep coming here? I am not racial and can tell you there are more people who are black that are racial in Texas than those who are white. This is an obvious drunken bad decision and not a case of racialism. People use color for an excuse for everything. Get over it and look at the facts.
texasisbetter

[wl7bzh]

"NUKE TEXAS AND RID US OF THAT VILE STATES FOREVER!

BLOW THAT SORRY STATE OFF THE FACE OF GOD''''''''S GOOD EARTH

TEXAS IS THE TRUE DEFINITION OF A TERRORIST STATE.

Posted by PALIN691"

Gee, if you don''t like Texas, how do you feel about California?

[averagejane3]

Did anyone notice that these were CRIMINALS???? What was Mr. McClelland doing out drinking with these 2 "bad" men anyway? If they are soooo racist, why would he call them to help him do anything? It just looks like a bunch of drunks to me.

[nikkicatt1]

The are some cities that I won''t go to visit because of their reputation. But, as far a the whole state, I have visited them all. Each state in our union is unique and so are its people. I guess we should all look past the media before we comndemn anyone or anyplace. What happened in Paris is just an alcohol induced tragedy. Read your own local news. How many drunken fights between friends or relatives has ended in death? To say this is a hate crime without knowing the facts is a bit racial - don''t you think?
By the way, Texans dont'' claim Shrub!! He is the biggest joke in the whole state.

[ozziebelinda]

Thank god that i live in Australia.