Three Youths to Plead Guilty in Mississippi Hate Crimes

Racially-motivated murder of James C. Anderson was caught on motel security tape

A case that reopened old wounds in a racially tense Mississippi city has new developments almost a year later.

Three Jackson teens are expected to plead guilty to hate crimes, for the murder of 49-year-old James C. Anderson June 26, 2011.

According to law enforcement officials, Anderson died after he was beaten and run over by a truck driven by 19-year-old Deryl Dedmon. The teen was part of a group white youths, including John Aaron Rice and Dylan Butler, “who decided to ‘go f**k with some n*ggers’ after a night of partying and drinking,” CNN reports.

Rice and Butler are also expected to make guilty pleas

Authorities believe Dedmon, who has already entered a guilty plea, was the main instigator in the attack. A videotape of the incident shows the group going back and forth between their cars and Anderson, before running him over.

Anderson, a partnered gay man, and his case drew wide-ranging support from civil and LGBT rights groups. A wrongful death suit filed by Anderson’s family excluded his life partner, because Mississippi does not recognize same sex civil unions.

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