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Death Row Information

Offender Information

Picture of Offender Name King, John William
TDCJ Number 999295
Date of Birth 11/03/1974
Date Received 02/25/1999
Age (when Received) 24
Education Level (Highest Grade Completed) 10
Date of Offense 06/07/1998
  Age (at the time of Offense) 23
  County Jasper
  Race White
  Gender Male
  Hair Color Brown
  Height 5' 9"
  Weight 198
  Eye Color Brown
  Native County Atlanta
  Native State Georgia

Prior Occupation
carpenter, laborer

Prior Prison Record
TDCJ-ID #624420, 10-year sentence for one count of Burglary; 7/28/97 released on Parole to Orange County

Summary of Incident
On 06/07/98, during the nighttime hours, the subject and co-defendants, Lawrence Brewer and Shawn Allen Berry, murdered James Byrd Jr., a 49-year old black male, by dragging the victim behind their 1982 gray Ford pickup truck, located on Huff Creek Road, in Jasper, Texas. The subject and the co-defendants picked the victim up while he was hitchhiking in Jasper.

Co-Defendants
Berry, Shawn; Brewer, Lawrence Russell

Race and Gender of Victim
Black male