Texas Jury Finds Third Man Guilty in Dragging Death

Courts: The final defendant is convicted in a 1998 crime that shocked the nation. Unlike the two others, he is spared the death penalty.

November 19, 1999|CLAUDIA KOLKER | TIMES STAFF WRITER

On the one hand, Harrington argued, Byrd's murder reflects the prevalence of hate violence nationwide, violence that could be blunted with stronger laws. But Dershowitz, who voices mixed feelings about hate crime laws, said Jasper may have made the case for such law less compelling. After all, Americans needed no prompting to be outraged, and the killers were sentenced to severe punishments under the law as it stands, he noted.

For the children of Jasper, the case was especially troubling. "This has disturbed these children, and believe me, some of them will never get over this," said Claudia Colter, a receptionist at the Boys' and Girls' Club. "They are afraid, some of these children, of Caucasians. Some Caucasians are real sweet, they say. But they're trying to find out who the mean ones are. Some of them feel some Caucasian is going to drag them too."

To psychoanalyst Elisabeth Young-Bruehl of Philadelphia, author of "The Anatomy of Prejudices," the children's response makes perfect sense. "Episodes like this are like Rorschach blots," interpreted through each person's life experience and sense of power.

"The prevailing sentiment of the country now is that crimes like this are totally unacceptable," she said, "which is historically very significant. On the other hand, those children . . . are right. This kind of violence can come totally unexpectedly and seemingly without provocation of any sort. So it's the ultimate frightening violence."

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