O.D. Henderson
O.D. Henderson was 25 years old and from Fairfield, Alabama, and he was an only child. His story is remembered through his parents. According to research presented by the Jefferson County Memorial Project and Devyn Troy, a Miles College student who researched the case, he got into an argument with a coworker, and a police officer who witnessed it joined in beating him. He was beaten on the way to the jail, where he died on September 5, 1940, and the researchers classify his death as a homicide by the officer and the coworker.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed). Devyn Troy, a Miles College student researching the case, and the Jefferson County Memorial Project say a police officer and a coworker beat Henderson to death on the way to the jail, a account no official ruling has contested in these sources.
Reported by: Devyn Troy, Miles College student researcher (reporters); Jefferson County Memorial Project (advocates).