White Teen Wanted "Revenge" in Hit and Run Killing of Black MS Man

I had passed along this news last week and how sad it is that this mind set still exsists. Here is an update to the story and it is even more sad.

The man who was killed was also gay, in a relationship, and had a daughter. The partner can do nothing.

From Rod 2.0 Beta comes this update.....

Revenge against someone you never met?

The white Mississippi teenager charged with deliberately running down a Black man tells police that he was looking for "revenge" against Blacks after allegedly being robbed—although the victim had nothing to do with the crime.

James C. Anderson died on the morning of June 26 in a Jackson motel parking lot. The 48-year-old Anderson had a long-term male partner of almost two decades and they were raising a daughter. Nineteen-year-old Daryl Dedmon has been charged with capital murder and a hate crime, reports the AP.

Dedmon’s lawyer Lee Agnew, didn’t immediately respond to a message. He has suggested it was an accident.

Authorities say seven white teenagers were partying in Rankin County the night of Anderson’s death when Dedmon suggested they go find a black man to "mess with." Detective Eric Smith testified at a hearing in July that Dedmon had been robbed in the weeks before Anderson’s death and that he was looking for “some sort of revenge,” though there was no evidence Anderson was responsible for the robbery.

Prosecutors say seven teenagers loaded up in two cars and headed for nearby Jackson where they found Anderson in a hotel parking lot on Ellis Avenue. Dedmon and another teen allegedly beat Anderson before Dedmon jumped in a green Ford F-250 and ran over the dazed man. Authorities say Dedmon also robbed Anderson, but they haven’t said what he took.

Surveillance video shows two carloads of teenagers driving into the parking lot. Several approached Anderson, who was beaten and robbed. The video shows Anderson being struck by a truck. Witnesses report one teenager yelled "white power" and the driver of the pickup shouted the n-word.

Dedmon, who was driving the pickup, faces capital murder and hate crime charges and is being held without bond. Police initially charged another teenager, John Aaron Rice, with murder. That charge has been reduced to simple assault.

Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith says it is "unlikely" that Dedmon will face the death penalty. Anderson's family opposes the death penalty.

Earlier this month, Anderson's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the seven white teenagers that police say were involved in the gruesome crime. Anderson's long-term partner is prevented by Mississippi law and the Defense of Marriage Act from joining the legal action. Anderson's partner is also prevented by Mississippi law from making end of life decisions.