John William King
John William King, known as Bill, was 44 and grew up in Jasper, Texas, where his father, Ronald King, struggled to understand how his son had changed, according to a priest who spoke for the family. The State of Texas executed him by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville on April 24, 2019, and he was pronounced dead about twelve minutes after the drug took effect. His lawyers argued that his claims of innocence were never presented at trial and that his trial lawyers conceded his guilt against his wishes, but the courts and the parole board declined to halt the execution. Relatives of the man whose death he was linked to watched the execution and said they felt no sense of relief.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state
Reported by: Texas Department of Criminal Justice (the agency that held him). The only account of how this person died comes from the agency that held him.
News reports (11)
- Executed Inmates
- Texas executes John William King in racist dragging death of James Byrd Jr.
- White supremacist executed for killing black man by dragging him behind truck - ABC News
- John William King Executed in Infamous Lynching Case, Said Attorneys Had Violated His Right to Present Innocence Defense
- Texas Executes Man Convicted In 1998 Murder Of James Byrd Jr.
- Texas executes avowed racist in black man’s dragging death
- "Avowed racist" to be executed for black man's horrific 1998 dragging death
- First man convicted in James Byrd Jr. dragging death executed
- ‘Avowed Racist’ Executed For Chaining A Black Man To The Back Of A Truck And Dragging Him For 3 Miles Until He Died
- Texas executes white racist for dragging a black man to his death
- White supremacist executed in Texas for dragging death of black man