Sept. 13, 2011
Read the family's letter.
The family of a black man who was allegedly attacked and killed in a hate crime is asking Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith to not pursue the death penalty for the accused killer, Deryl Dedmon.
"Those responsible for James' death not only ended the life of a talented and wonderful man," Barbara Anderson Young wrote about her brother. "They also have caused our family unspeakable pain and grief. As Coretta Scott King stated in explaining her opposition to the death penalty: 'An evil deed is not redeemed by an evil deed of retaliation. Justice is never advanced in the taking of human life.'
"Our opposition to the death penalty is deeply rooted in our religious faith, a faith that was central in James' life as well. Our Savior Jesus Christ rejected the old way of an eye for an eye and taught us instead to turn the other cheek."
Dedmon, 19, is charged with capital murder and John Aaron Rice, 18, is charged with simple assault. A pretrail hearing is scheduled for Sept. 26 at the Hinds County Courthouse.
Six other teens who were at the scene of the crime do not currently face criminal charges. Anderson's family and the Southern Poverty Law Center have filed a wrongful death suit against all the teenagers.
Also see: Family Files Wrongful Death Suit Against Teens.
and a photo gallery from Anderson's vigil.
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