Jackson Free Press

On Monday, a Grand Jury indicted Deryl Dedmon on capital murder charges for the murder of James Craig Anderson.

Brandon High School student Deryl Dedmon, 18, is accused of driving the pick-up truck that hit Anderson, is charged with murder and remains in jail. John Aaron Rice, also 18, was originally charged with murder but now faces a lesser charge of simple assault and is free on bond. The four other teens involved do not face criminal charges but are named in a wrongful death suit the Southern Poverty Law Center filed on behalf of the Anderson family.

ABC news is reporting the Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith is unlikely to pursue the death penalty for Dedmon upon request from the families. The Washington Post reported that Dedmon is also charged under Mississippi's hate crime law, which provides for enhanced sentences.

Also see: Family Files Wrongful Death Suit.