UNITED STATES: Killer to be executed for notorious hate crime

One of three men convicted in the 1998 murder of James Byrd Jr, one of modern America’s worst hate crimes, is to be executed in Texas. Byrd, a black man, was beaten, chained to a truck and dragged for miles by King, an avowed white supremacist, and two other white men. His murder prompted Congress […]

One of three men convicted in the 1998 murder of James Byrd Jr, one of modern America’s worst hate crimes, is to be executed in Texas.

Byrd, a black man, was beaten, chained to a truck and dragged for miles by King, an avowed white supremacist, and two other white men.

His murder prompted Congress to pass hate crime legislation in 2009.

John William King, 44, is the second man to be executed over the slaying. He has filed multiple appeals in his case.

On Monday, the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole unanimously deny King a commutation or a 120-day reprieve.

Last October, the US Supreme Court declined to take up his appeal.