Victim Impact Statements, Arguments Given in Hate Crime Sentencing
2015/04/30 – U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate recessed the court for lunch around 11:45 a.m. Thursday in the sentencing of the last two defendants in the hate crime conspiracy case that involved 10 young white people from Rankin County who assaulted black people in JAckson, resulting ultimately in the 2011 death of James Craig Anderson.
John Louis Blalack and Robert Henry Rice, both Brandon residents, will be sentenced today. Rice’s sentencing was set for 9:30 a.m., and Blalack’s for 2 p.m., but as of the lunch recess, neither had been sentenced.
Blalack pleaded guilty to two felony hate crimes charges in January. He faces up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $500,000. Rice pleaded guilty to one felony hate crime charge. He faces up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
Prosecutors say Blalack helped distract James Craig Anderson in a parking lot in June 2011, detaining him until an assault began. Anderson died after he was run over by a truck.
Rice participated in at least three earlier attacks, but wasn’t present when Anderson died.
Anderson’s partner, James Bradfield spoke to the court, and told Blalack and Rice that he had been looking forward to looking them in the face for a long time.
“Mostly the thing that hurts me is my little son growing up without his father,” he said.
He told them in all the times their group of friends had assaulted African Americans, even up to that night, they could have saved Anderson’s life.
“You all had time to stop it,” he said. “But if you’d never gotten caught… you’d still be running the streets targeting African Americans. You thought it was a joke.”
Anderson’s sister, Barbara Young also addressed Rice and Blalack.
“Today marks the final chapter in a tragedy that began before June 2011,” she said. “But James Craig Anderson didn’t die in vain. Because of his death, people were exposed, lives were touched, friendships were made. But still nothing is the same.”
Rice’s attorney, Lawrence Coco, also argued guidelines for sentencing before the court before recess. The judge has yet to rule on those objections as well.
Court reconvenes at 1:30 p.m.
Source: The Clarion-Ledger
