James Craig Anderson
| James Craig Anderson | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1962 |
| Died | June 26, 2011 (aged 49) Jackson, Mississippi |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Factory worker at Nissan plant |
| Known for | Victim of hate crime murder |
James Craig Anderson was a 49-year-old African American who was murdered in a hate crime in Jackson, Mississippi on June 26, 2011, by 18-year-old Deryl Dedmon of Brandon. Anderson worked on the assembly line at the Nissan plant in north Jackson; he was helping his longtime partner raise a young child.
According to police, Dedmon and his friends, a group of white teenagers, robbed and repeatedly beat Anderson before Dedmon ran him over, causing fatal injuries. A motel security camera showed Dedmon and his associates, as well as Dedmon running Anderson over with his truck.
The FBI conducted a high-profile civil rights investigation of Anderson's murder; it led to indictments of 10 persons, including Dedmon, for a conspiracy of several hate crimes against African Americans in Jackson committed from the spring of 2011 to March 2012. Anderson's murder was classified as a racially motivated hate crime. Eventually, all 10 persons were indicted for various combinations of these crimes. They each pleaded guilty and received federal sentences.
Anderson's family asked that the perpetrators of the murder be spared the death penalty. Dedmon was convicted of murder in state court in 2012 and sentenced to two concurrent terms of life imprisonment.
In March 2012, Dedmon pleaded guilty to federal hate crime and conspiracy charges, as did John Rice, Dylan Butler, Jonathan Gaskamp and William Montgomery. They were among the 10 indicted for multiple attacks against African Americans in Jackson. On February 10, 2015, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves sentenced Dedmon to 50 years in prison; John Rice to 18 ½ years; and Butler to 7 years for their roles in the hate crime. Their federal sentences will run concurrently to the state ones, and they are not eligible for parole.
James Craig Anderson was born in Holmes County, Mississippi. His mother is Annzora Anderson. His father died young. Siblings include sister Barbara Anderson Young, who lives in Lafayette County, and brothers Louis and Edwin J. Anderson. They attended local schools. The brothers and mother still live in Holmes County.
James Anderson later moved to Jackson, where he participated in church and was known for his tenor. For seventeen years he had been in a relationship with James Bradfield and was helping him rear a young relative for whom the latter was guardian. For the last seven years Anderson had been working on the assembly line at the Nissan plant in the northern part of the city.
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