Brandon McClelland was killed. Two white men, Shannon Keith Finley and Charles Ryan Crostley, were accused of running down Brandon McClelland and dragging his body behind their pickup truck.

Brandon McClelland had gone with Finley and Crostley to buy beer. They had an argument. McClelland left the pickup to walk home and that was when Crostley and Finley allegedly ran him down. McClelland’s body was found on Sept. 16. McClelland was good friends with Finley before the quarrel. He had been jailed for providing a false alibi for Finley in Finley’s murder trial in 2004.

Authorities said it was not a hate crime since McClelland was friendly with the men before his death. There was no evidence McClelland was tied behind their pickup truck. They are waiting for the results of the autopsy.

Currently, Crostley and Finley are jailed on charges of murder and evidence tampering. This case happened in Paris, Texas. Police and authorities insisted the crime was not a racially motivated. They said Finley was not a white supremacist because he lacked the tattoos of the supremacists.

The Nation of Islam, the New Black Panthers and the NAACP are focused on this case. They want to bring attention to what they call a “hate crime.” The defendants Finley and Crostley face murder charges. If the authorities consider the factor of racial bias in this crime, the penalties for the convicted can be increased.

Brandon McClelland’s mother, Jacqueline McClelland, said that pieces of skull of her son could be found along the road 3 days after the discovery of his body.

Brandon McClelland,
may you rest in peace.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, October 26th, 2008 at 3:24 am and is filed under News.