NBPP on the ground in Paris, Texas...Another Dragging Death, R.I.P. 24 yr. old Brandon McClelland - 9/6/08
On Saturday, October 4, I received a serious phone call from Krystal Muhammad of the New Black Panther Party (NBPP) in regards to a possible dragging death in Paris, Texas which is located about five hours north of Houston. The first thing that immediately came to my mind was that 2008 is the tenth anniversary of the lynching of James Byrd, Jr. in Jasper, Texas. Liken unto that case, the victim in Paris was said to be a 24-year-old Black man and his killers were two White men. I immediately Googled the town and saw that there were only a handful of media outlets that had covered the story which involved Brandon McClelland and these two White males. One reason possibly that there was hardly any coverage was that this killing took place on September 16, which was the tail end of Hurricane Ike hitting landfall so I am sure the town officials were hoping this would be swept under the rug. Sister Krystal told me that members of the NBPP Dallas Chapter were on the grounds already to meet with the family. After a five hour drive, we arrived in the 'hood of Paris. We then caravaned over to the home of the McClelland family where Brandon's mother sat on the porch with tears in her eyes. Ms. Jacqueline McClelland and her family gave recorded statements to me and the NBPP for an independent investigation. We were also joined by local activists, a head of the State NAACP chapter and other friends of the family. After hearing their accounts, it was verified that her son was dragged on the back of a pickup truck by these two White males and his body was dismembered. Jasper all over again. Afterwards we drove over to the grave site. We then went to the scene of the crime in Lamar County. You would not believe that parts of that Brandon McClelland's skull was still out there on the ground! Shows how much the police cared. It was like an episode of CSI:NY with blood tracks up and down the road and tire marks chased by the blood trails. This was one of the most painful stories I have had to cover in person. They tied my son to that truck and drugged him until his body parts were detached", said his mother Jacqueline McClelland. "His body was so destroyed that it could not even be embalmed by the funeral home. This is a hate crime. I don't want the death penalty for these killers because that would be too quick. I want them to suffer for life in jail without parole since I will never have my son back."
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Update: Special Prosecutor Appointed in Dragging Case
By JEFF CARLTON Associated Press Writer © 2008 The Associated Press
Nov. 13, 2008, 2:58PM
DALLAS — The district attorney prosecuting a racially charged dragging death in East Texas has recused himself because he once represented one of the murder suspects, leading to the appointment of a special prosecutor, officials said Thursday.
Before he held public office, Lamar County and District Attorney Gary Young was the court-appointed lawyer for one of the suspects in the September death of 24-year-old Brandon McClelland. Authorities said that suspect and another man, who are both white, purposely ran over McClelland, a black man, following an argument on the way home from a late-night beer run Sept. 16.
McClelland's body was dragged about 70 feet beneath a pickup truck and dismembered by the trauma near Paris, about 95 miles northeast of Dallas.
McClelland's mother, members of the New Black Panther Party, the Nation of Islam and other groups have compared the killing to the notorious dragging death of James Byrd 10 years ago in Jasper. Activists have planned a Monday rally at the Lamar County Courthouse.
In 2003, Young defended Shannon Finley, who was charged with murder and eventually pleaded guilty to manslaughter for fatally shooting a friend in the head. Finley served four years in prison.
Activists said the appointmen
t of former Dallas prosecutor Toby Shook is a victory for McClelland's family, who had argued that Young's prior defense of Finley should disqualify him. Young had originally assigned the case to an assistant, but McClelland's mother said she thought the DA would still be able to exert influence.
"I think he should have recused himself," said Brenda Cherry, a Paris community activist who is close to McClelland's mother. "I had a concern he wouldn't be fair."
Shook agreed with Young's decision, saying "it's usually best in these situations to recuse yourself, although he didn't necessarily have to do so."
Lamar County spokesman Allan Hubbard declined to comment. There was no answer at the home of McClelland's mother, and McClelland's father did not immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press.
Finley and Charles Crostley remain in the Lamar County Jail on bonds totally $800,000 and $525,000, respectively, according to online jail records.
They have not been indicted. The grand jury met Thursday but Shook did not present the case because he said he is still getting familiar with its details. The grand jury next convenes Dec. 11, and Shook said he expects to seek indictments then.
Shook is a former assistant district attorney in Dallas County. He successfully tried the escaped prisoners who became known as the notorious "Texas Seven" after they killed an Irving police officer while they were on the lam in 2000. Shook lost the 2006 election for district attorney to current Dallas County DA Crai
g Watkins and is now in private practice.
The special prosecutor said he has not decided whether he believes the McClelland killing was racially motivated. In Texas, a determination of racial bias in a crime can increase penalties, but not for murder charges. Such a finding, however, would be a symbolic victory for McClelland's family and activists, who said he was targeted because he was an African-American.
Deric Muhammad, a Nation of Islam member who is monitoring the case, praised the Shook appointment as "a step in the direction of justice."
"If this case is prosecuted fairly and not tinged with the racism and bias that has haunted Paris and Lamar County for decades, it could very well represent a start in a healing process for Blacks, as well as concerned Whites in Paris," Muhammad wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
Shook said he is not worried about taking over such a charged case.
"It doesn't bother me to step into a case with a lot of emotion in it," Shook said. "Most murder cases do have a lot of emotion."
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