James Byrd Jr. was a 49 years old African-American man.
He had 8 siblings, a wife and 3 children.

James worked as a vacuum salesman.

In 1998, James accepted a ride that he assumed was a good-deed, from the 3 white superacists
Shawn Berry, Lawrence Brewer and John King.
They took him to a remote county road out of his town,
they beat him up severely, put spray-paint on his face, then urinated and defecated on him.

After that, they attached him to the back of the truck with a logging chain. And drove off, dragging James
down the asphalt in Huff Creek Road.

Froensic evidence shows that James was trying to keep his head up while being dragged, and that he was alive
during some of the dragging.

He died around halfway along the road, when his head was severed.