Female gang members who ‘hunted’ black people, took part in random murder, jailed

Two women who were part of a group that repeatedly searched Mississippi’s capital city for black people to assault were sentenced Thursday to multiple years in federal prison for their role in the 2011 hate killing of 47-year-old James Craig Anderson.

U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate on Thursday sentenced Shelbie Brooke Richards, 21, of Pearl to eight years in prison on one count each of conspiracy to commit a hate crime and concealing the crime by lying to police.

In a separate hearing earlier Thursday, Wingate also sentenced Sarah Adelia Graves, 22, of Crystal Springs to five years in prison for one count of conspiracy to commit a hate crime.

Both women were riding in a truck that fatally ran over Anderson in June 2011. Anderson died after being beaten and run over.

Both women read letters of apology to Anderson’s bereaved family, writes the Clarion-Ledger.

‘It was the worst decision of my life,’ Richards said as she wept. ‘I followed a lot of people with hate in their hearts…and I’m sorry for the actions I didn’t take to save Mr. Anderson’s life.’

Graves told the court she’s haunted every day by Anderson’s face.

‘I was a teenager who partied too much and wanted to fit in with the crowd, and I’ve asked myself so many times, ‘Why was I so afraid?’ Graves said. ‘I pray that not only God and Mr. Anderson can forgive me, but that his family can one day forgive me.’

Their day of sentencing was not that day. Anderson’s sister told the girls:

‘You sat, watched, encouraged and rallied around as my brother was beaten…your thirst for the blood of an innocent African American caused you to pour more fuel on the fire.’

Anderson’s partner James Bradfield was similarly unforgiving.

The days are never the same. Holidays, birthdays, anniversaries…On a sunny day, all I can see is Craig out there working in the yard, trying to do everything he could for his family, and you took his life for no reason,’ he said. ‘And you didn’t want to turn yourself in. You thought you’d get away with it.’

Six white men, sentenced earlier by a different judge, received prison terms ranging from four to 50 years for Anderson’s death. Two more men await sentencing after Thursday’s hearings.

Both Richards and Graves have acknowledged that they helped recruit people at a birthday party to take part in the venture that eventually led to Anderson’s death in Jackson, which they called ‘Jafrica.’

Richards admitted that she encouraged Deryl Paul Dedmon to assault Anderson when they arrived in a hotel parking lot, and then yelled a racial slur and encouraged Dedmon to run over Anderson when Dedmon returned to the truck.

Hotel surveillance video obtained by The Associated Press and other media outlets shows a Ford truck back up and then lunge forward at 5:05 a.m. Anderson’s shirt is illuminated in the headlights before he disappears under the vehicle next to the curb.

Richards also acknowledged that later that month she lied to Jackson police detectives about the incident and her participation.

The 10 defendants have pleaded guilty to other racially motivated attacks, including the beating of a black man near a Jackson golf course, the beating of another man who tried to sell the suburbanites drugs, attacks on pedestrians using beer bottles and a slingshot, and an attempt to run down another black man.

Prosecutors said the suspects usually sought out people who were homeless or drunk. Other than Anderson, the black people who were assaulted have not been identified.

Source: The DailyMail

Two women who were part of a group that repeatedly searched Mississippi’s capital city for black people to assault were sentenced Thursday to multiple years in federal prison for their role in the 2011 hate killing of 47-year-old James Craig Anderson.

U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate on Thursday sentenced Shelbie Brooke Richards, 21, of Pearl to eight years in prison on one count each of conspiracy to commit a hate crime and concealing the crime by lying to police.

In a separate hearing earlier Thursday, Wingate also sentenced Sarah Adelia Graves, 22, of Crystal Springs to five years in prison for one count of conspiracy to commit a hate crime.

Both women were riding in a truck that fatally ran over Anderson in June 2011. Anderson died after being beaten and run over.

Both women read letters of apology to Anderson’s bereaved family, writes the Clarion-Ledger.

‘It was the worst decision of my life,’ Richards said as she wept. ‘I followed a lot of people with hate in their hearts…and I’m sorry for the actions I didn’t take to save Mr. Anderson’s life.’

Graves told the court she’s haunted every day by Anderson’s face.

‘I was a teenager who partied too much and wanted to fit in with the crowd, and I’ve asked myself so many times, ‘Why was I so afraid?’ Graves said. ‘I pray that not only God and Mr. Anderson can forgive me, but that his family can one day forgive me.’

Their day of sentencing was not that day. Anderson’s sister told the girls:

‘You sat, watched, encouraged and rallied around as my brother was beaten…your thirst for the blood of an innocent African American caused you to pour more fuel on the fire.’

Anderson’s partner James Bradfield was similarly unforgiving.

The days are never the same. Holidays, birthdays, anniversaries…On a sunny day, all I can see is Craig out there working in the yard, trying to do everything he could for his family, and you took his life for no reason,’ he said. ‘And you didn’t want to turn yourself in. You thought you’d get away with it.’

Six white men, sentenced earlier by a different judge, received prison terms ranging from four to 50 years for Anderson’s death. Two more men await sentencing after Thursday’s hearings.

Both Richards and Graves have acknowledged that they helped recruit people at a birthday party to take part in the venture that eventually led to Anderson’s death in Jackson, which they called ‘Jafrica.’

Richards admitted that she encouraged Deryl Paul Dedmon to assault Anderson when they arrived in a hotel parking lot, and then yelled a racial slur and encouraged Dedmon to run over Anderson when Dedmon returned to the truck.

Hotel surveillance video obtained by The Associated Press and other media outlets shows a Ford truck back up and then lunge forward at 5:05 a.m. Anderson’s shirt is illuminated in the headlights before he disappears under the vehicle next to the curb.

Richards also acknowledged that later that month she lied to Jackson police detectives about the incident and her participation.

The 10 defendants have pleaded guilty to other racially motivated attacks, including the beating of a black man near a Jackson golf course, the beating of another man who tried to sell the suburbanites drugs, attacks on pedestrians using beer bottles and a slingshot, and an attempt to run down another black man.

Prosecutors said the suspects usually sought out people who were homeless or drunk. Other than Anderson, the black people who were assaulted have not been identified.

Source: The DailyMail