Executive Summary
Brandon McClelland, a young black male was found dead. His body was found lying lifeless on the busy highway route in Paris, Texas. The dismembered body was so severely damaged that limbs were almost torn off. McClelland’s family was not able to instruct the funeral home and mortician to embalm him due to the extreme damage the body underwent. Originally ruled a hit and run by police the racist past of the two men who were allegedly responsible for the death of McClelland brought a new light on the situation. Due to national media attention, civil rights activists were drawn to the small Texas town that sits about one hundred miles north of Dallas. Paris, Texas has the issue of slavery and race deeply embedded in its government and town society. This can be clearly seen while entering the town center where there is a large confederate monument that greets visitors. The large influx of civil rights activists as well as normal protesters storming the city streets caused the police department and also the county prosecutors office.
On the night of September 16th 2008, Brandon McClelland was found dead after a vehicle struck him and when Brandon McClelland was stuck in between the tire and car the drivers kept going. Brandon McClelland was dragged 40-70 feet as discovered by forensic analysts as well as autopsy reports (Chicago Tribune). The alleged suspects are Shannon Finley and Charles Ryan Crostley who are accused of running the victim over after an argument while attempting to go out and purchase more beer (Chicago Tribune). Finley and Crostley were also good friends of McClelland which led many on the side of the defense argue that it was not a hate crime.
Chicago Tribune, H. W. (2008, October 08). Black man’s death divides Texas town. Retrieved April 29, 2019, from http://archive.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/10/08/20081008texasdeath08-odd.html
Background
Born on June 27th 1984, Brandon McClelland was 24 years old on the night of September 16th 2008. McClelland was a maintenance worker and also worked side jobs for extra pocket money. McClelland was a life long Texan and he resided at home with his mother Jacqueline McClelland who like his sister Krystal had a close relationship with Brandon McClelland. When Brandon McClelland told his family that he was going to hang some sheet rock with long time friends Shannon Finley and Charles Ryan Crostley, his family thought that night was going to be like any other night and was expecting to see Brandon home again the next morning.
Shannon Finley and Charles Ryan Crostley were life long friends and have also been long time friends with Brandon McClelland. Shannon Finley has served 4 years in a Texas State Prison for a manslaughter charge after he pleaded guilty in 2003. In that same case McClelland was found guilty of perjury for creating a false alibi for Finley while he gave testimony so he wouldn’t be suspected of the crime. During the time that Finley was in prison it was suspected that he joined a white supremacist gang that was notorious for racial violence inside of prisons and occasionally violence outside of prisons. Crostley and Finley have both been called the errors of the town, the worst of the worst. Due to the fact that the two perpetrators were Crostley and Finley (men who were seen as having a bad reputation) the police department and prosecutors kept inserting the idea that this event was just a tragedy caused by two bad men that do not represent the morals of the city of Paris.
Mckinley, J. C. (2009, February 15). Killing Stirs Racial Unease in Texas. Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/us/15paris.html
Timeline of the Crime
On September 16th 2008. Finley and Crostley along with McClelland were hanging sheetrock together. As longtime friends they were very familiar with each other and like other times they worked together wanted to drink some alcohol. When they ran out of beer, they made an unanimous decision to go out for another beer run trip. While traveling across state lines to neighboring Oklahoma everything and all conversations in the vehicle was going fine. Once the three men bought the beer they were preparing to go back to the original location to drink some more and hang out. According to Finley’s wife (Ashley Finley) who he consulted after the murder, When the men finally got back to Paris, there was an argument about who was too drunk to drive. When McClelland believed that the two men were too drunk to drive he proceeded to get out of the car and grabbed a few beers. McClelland told the men he was going to go home and said goodbye, McClelland then proceeded to walk home. Thats when according to Finley’s wife and another friend of Finley he waited until McClelland walked a little down the road then proceed to bump McClelland until he fell over. Thats when Finley along with Crostley in the passenger seat ran him over. Finley and Crostley ran over and dragged McClelland’s body 40-70 feet until the dismembered body was no longer able to stay in the chassis of the truck any longer. Once the body of McClelland (or what was left of it) was in the street, Crostley and Finley got out of their bloodstained car and took a beer can each opened it and poured the beer can all over Brandon McClelland’s body.
– Carlton, J., & Associated Press. (2012, February 09). Black man’s death in Texas called racist attack. Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Black-man-s-death-in-Texas-called-racist-attack-3188635.php
- Crostley v. Lamar County, Texas, 717 F.3d 410 (5th Cir. 2013).
Timeline of Aftermath
After the crime took place the two men fled the scene went to the home of Brandon McClelland. At the home they spoke to Brandon McClelland’s mother. The men told Jacqueline McClelland that they left Brandon McClelland walking on the side of the road due to the fact that there was an argument about who should drive.That same night Finley and Crostley also washed their vehicle of any evidence. When the police department first discovered the body they treated it as a normal hit and run scenario. It took a considerably long time for police to consider Finley and Crostley suspects. This negligence by the Police Department gave time for Finely and Crostley to wash their vehicle another time. Although most evidence was gone, when the police department finally was able to run forensics on the vehicle they found blood and other physical evidence such as pieces of flesh on the undercarriage of the vehicle. When Jacqueline McClelland went back to the crime scene along with other community and civil rights activists they both said that the police did a horrible job in collecting evidence. Jacqueline McClelland felt as if the police almost deliberately did not correctly collect evidence on the crime. At the crime scene there were still blood marks as well as tire marks made out of blood. The most horrific evidence left behind by police was a fragment from McClelland’s skull. This almost drew immediate coverage for the local media and hundreds of protesters were seen meeting anti-protesters who were defending Crostley and Finley. State Troopers in riot gear had to be called in and two were arrested for suspicion of disorderly Conduct.
Crostley and Finley were charged with the murder of Brandon McClelland and evidence tampering but the judge in the case granted the prosecution’s motion to drop all charges. Crostley even went as far as to sue the government. After the two men had their charges dropped Crostley and Finley then sued the State for damages that occurred while they were held in prison for nine months. Civil rights activists as well as the friends and family of Brandon McClelland believe that Crostley and Finley were let off easily due to them having a past connection to the head county prosecutor. This is suspected because back when Finley was arrested in 2003 for manslaughter charges his public defender then became the head prosecutor and is still currently the head prosecutor. People believe that because there was an attorney-client relationship it may have followed the two men after the case and led to a current bias.
Harper, F. (2009, August 16). Paris, Texas-Modern-Day Lynching, Age-Old Outrage. Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://revcom.us/a/173/Paris TX-en.html
CROSTLEY v. LAMAR COUNTY, No. 12-40288 (5th Cir. May 29, 2013).
Indictment
At this time, it is recommended that no charges be brought against Finley and Crostley. Due to the circumstances, there is not enough concrete evidence to indict the two men. Most evidence in the McClelland case involves circumstantial evidence. Whether the solid evidence in this case has been covered up or tainted by local law enforcement is still unknown and I would recommend the United States Department of Justice to Oversee and investigate the handling of this case. One thing that can be said is that the negligence that was shown by local agencies/departments is unacceptable. This conduct is clearly unethical and leaves clear doubts in peoples mind as to whether proper justice was rendered. Fragments of skull left behind as well as beer cans and bloody tire marks leave questions that bring the town of Paris back to the mid 20th century when racial ties were horrendous and a macabre series of murders were covered up by local police departments such as the Mississippi Burning case. This case also has striking parallels with another case that occurred in Texas. 10 years prior to the McClelland incident James Byrd in similar fashion was killed by racist men by car. They attached a chain to his body and dragged him until he died. In a 10 year period there is no reason to suspect that race relations in Texas have changed for the better. Hopefully history does not repeat itself again.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (1964). Miburn. 44-25706. Jackson, Mississippi: United States Department of Justice. https://vault.fbi.gov/Mississippi%20Burning%20%28MIBURN%29%20Case
Gabriel, R., & Tolnay, S. (2017). The Legacy of Lynching? An Empirical Replication and Conceptual Extension. Sociological Spectrum, 37(2), 77-96.
Lynching. (1931). Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology (1931-1951), 22(2), 290
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