Murder of Kerrick Majors

Kerrick Majors
Bornc. 1972
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Died (aged 14)
East Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Cause of deathMurder by stabbing
Known forVictim of a hate crime and anti-black racism

On April 26, 1987, Kerrick Majors, a 14-year-old African-American boy, was tortured and murdered by three white drifters during a racially motivated hate crime in East Nashville, Tennessee.[1] Majors was attacked by the trio after he and his friends accidentally broke a $2 vase at a flea market.[2] Majors was kidnapped, tortured, beaten, and stabbed to death, while his attackers yelled racial slurs at him.[1][3] His body was found the following day.[4]

Donald Ray Middlebrooks, Tammy Middlebrooks, and Robert Brewington, all white, were convicted of his murder. Donald Middlebrooks, considered the ringleader, was sentenced to death, while Tammy Middlebrooks and Brewington received life sentences.[5] The police were criticized for their handling of the case and were accused of being racially biased.[6][7] Majors' family later sued the Metro government and said the police's slow response to Majors' disappearance led to his death.[8]

The case was notable due to its brutal nature, alleged racial bias from the police, and because it marked a rare occasion in which a white person received a death sentence for murdering a black person.[9][10] Middlebrooks was scheduled to be executed in December 2022, but his execution was later suspended.[11][12][13] If executed, Middlebrooks will be the first white person in modern Tennessee history to be executed for killing a black person.[14][15]

  1. ^ a b Loggins, Kirk (October 14, 1995). "Jury still deliberating Middlebrooks' fate". The Tennessean. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Wheeler, Sherrel (April 29, 1987). "$2 broken vase leads to boy's death: police". The Tennessean. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Kruesi, Kimberlee (September 24, 2019). "Tennessee seeks execution dates for 9 death row inmates". Associated Press. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  4. ^ Wheeler, Sherrel (April 28, 1987). "Abducted boy found dead in E. Nashville". The Tennessean. p. 9. Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Elder, Renee (September 23, 1989). "Murder victim's family applauds death sentence". The Tennessean. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Bostick, Alan (May 9, 1987). "Casey suspends 2 in missing-teen case". The Tennessean. pp. 1, 12. Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Bostick, Alan (May 12, 1987). "Officers' suspensions called 'slap on wrist'". The Tennessean. p. 12. Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Loggins, Kirk (April 26, 1988). "Metro sued in death of missing boy". The Tennessean. p. 15. Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Long, Colleen (September 15, 2020). "Report: Death penalty cases show history of racial disparity". Associated Press. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  10. ^ "Race and the Death Penalty". American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  11. ^ "Tennessee halts executions to conduct review after prisoner's last-minute stay". The Guardian. May 2, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  12. ^ Loller, Travis (March 3, 2022). "Tennessee sets 3 more inmate executions, plans 5 in 2022". Associated Press. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  13. ^ Kruesi, Kimberlee (September 24, 2019). "Tennessee seeks execution dates for 9 death row inmates". ABC News. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  14. ^ Deborah Fins. "Death Row U.S.A. Winter 2022" (PDF). NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  15. ^ "Executions by Race and Race of Victim". Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved August 8, 2022.