Death of Henry Lee Johnson: Difference between revisions
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{{AFC comment|1=Sources are almst all from one source. Needs significant coverage from multiple reliable secondary sources. [[User:Nightenbelle|Nightenbelle]] ([[User talk:Nightenbelle|talk]]) 20:54, 23 July 2021 (UTC)}} |
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'''Henry Lee Johnson''' (1964 - January 20, 1980) was a 15-year-old African-American who was murdered in [[Idabel, Oklahoma]] by a white man in 1980 after entering the parking lot of the Black Hat Club. His murder led to a [[Mass racial violence in the United States|race riot]] in Idabel, that left two more men dead. |
'''Henry Lee Johnson''' (1964 - January 20, 1980) was a 15-year-old African-American who was murdered in [[Idabel, Oklahoma]] by a white man in 1980 after entering the parking lot of the Black Hat Club. His murder led to a [[Mass racial violence in the United States|race riot]] in Idabel, that left two more men dead. |
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== The riots == |
== The riots == |
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Immediately following the discovery of Henry Lee Johnson's body, rumors began to circulate, including that the youth was severely beaten<ref name=":0" /> and lynched.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lake|first=Charles S.|date=1980-09-09|title=Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 66, No. 307, Ed. 1 Tuesday, September 9, 1980|url=https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1495562/m1/2/zoom/?q=%22henry%20lee%20johnson%22&resolution=2&lat=2965.130960165591&lon=2611.2998505417595|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-02|website=The Gateway to Oklahoma History|language=English}}</ref> This angered the Black community and led to rioting.<ref>{{Cite web|date=1980-01-24|title=San Antonio Register (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 48, No. 42, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 24, 1980|url=https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1060850/m1/1/zoom/|access-date=2021-05-02|website=The Portal to Texas History|language=English}}</ref> Several businesses were burned down, including the Black Hat Club. During the [[riot]]s, two men, William Mack JR, Black, and Rueben Farmer, white, were both killed. Investigators concluded that William Mack JR and Rueben Farmer had shot each other. In the days following the riots, the Ku Klux Klan were in Idabel passing out flyers and recruiting new members.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Bonham Daily Favorite - Google News Archive Search|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zyRbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Mk8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=4887,874217&dq=henry%20lee%20johnson%20idabel%20oklahoma&hl=en&fbclid=IwAR2UX_Ovfmj-I_OeD1X8ztFZ4izfOGvBwo7RRyxdOcvNG0ZXvqF7lamQQmg|access-date=2021-05-02|website=news.google.com}}</ref> |
Immediately following the discovery of Henry Lee Johnson's body, rumors began to circulate, including that the youth was severely beaten<ref name=":0" /> and lynched.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lake|first=Charles S.|date=1980-09-09|title=Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 66, No. 307, Ed. 1 Tuesday, September 9, 1980|url=https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1495562/m1/2/zoom/?q=%22henry%20lee%20johnson%22&resolution=2&lat=2965.130960165591&lon=2611.2998505417595|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-02|website=The Gateway to Oklahoma History|language=English}}</ref> This angered the Black community and led to rioting.<ref>{{Cite web|date=1980-01-24|title=San Antonio Register (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 48, No. 42, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 24, 1980|url=https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1060850/m1/1/zoom/|access-date=2021-05-02|website=The Portal to Texas History|language=English}}</ref> Several businesses were burned down, including the Black Hat Club. During the [[riot]]s, two men, William Mack JR, Black, and Rueben Farmer, white, were both killed. Investigators concluded that William Mack JR and Rueben Farmer had shot each other. In the days following the riots, the Ku Klux Klan were in Idabel passing out flyers and recruiting new members.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Bonham Daily Favorite - Google News Archive Search|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zyRbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Mk8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=4887,874217&dq=henry%20lee%20johnson%20idabel%20oklahoma&hl=en&fbclid=IwAR2UX_Ovfmj-I_OeD1X8ztFZ4izfOGvBwo7RRyxdOcvNG0ZXvqF7lamQQmg|access-date=2021-05-02|website=news.google.com}}</ref> |
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Walter Anthony 'Tony' DeShazo, was from a prominent family in Horatio, he turned himself in and confessed to the murder<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Lake|first=Charles S.|date=1980-12-21|title=Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 67, No. 85, Ed. 1 Sunday, December 21, 1980|url=https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1495432/m1/5/zoom/|access-date=2021-05-02|website=The Gateway to Oklahoma History|language=English}}</ref> on January 21, 1980. He was charged with first degree murder and bonded out for $25,000 on January 23, 1980.<ref name=":0" /> |
Walter Anthony 'Tony' DeShazo, was from a prominent family in Horatio, he turned himself in and confessed to the murder<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Lake|first=Charles S.|date=1980-12-21|title=Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 67, No. 85, Ed. 1 Sunday, December 21, 1980|url=https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1495432/m1/5/zoom/|access-date=2021-05-02|website=The Gateway to Oklahoma History|language=English}}</ref> on January 21, 1980. He was charged with first degree murder and bonded out for $25,000 on January 23, 1980.<ref name=":0" /> |
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In September, 1980 District Judge Gail Craytor downgraded Tony DeShazo's charges to second degree murder, citing no proof of premeditation or malice.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Lake|first=Charles S.|date=1980-09-11|title=Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 66, No. 309, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 11, 1980|url=https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1494327/m1/2/zoom/|access-date=2021-05-02|website=The Gateway to Oklahoma History|language=English}}</ref> Sitting Oklahoma Senator [[Gene Stipe]] was the lead defense attorney for DeShazo. |
In September, 1980 District Judge Gail Craytor downgraded Tony DeShazo's charges to second degree murder, citing no proof of premeditation or malice.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Lake|first=Charles S.|date=1980-09-11|title=Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 66, No. 309, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 11, 1980|url=https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1494327/m1/2/zoom/|access-date=2021-05-02|website=The Gateway to Oklahoma History|language=English}}</ref> Sitting Oklahoma Senator [[Gene Stipe]] was the lead defense attorney for DeShazo. |
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During the trial, a pregnant 13-year-old girl testified on behalf of DeShazo. The girl, from Foreman, Arkansas, testified that she was there with DeShazo and two other people. She testified that she exited the van to use the restroom, heard a noise, and saw three Black males. She went back to the van and told the others, "there is someone out there". DeShazo took a gun out of a gun case, then he and Ronnie Ayres, another one of the van's occupants, got out of the car and went around the building. The 13-year old testified she heard DeShazo yell "Stop", and shots being fired.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Lake|first=Charles S.|date=1980-09-10|title=Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 66, No. 308, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 10, 1980|url=https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1495062/m1/2/zoom/|access-date=2021-05-02|website=The Gateway to Oklahoma History|language=English}}</ref> |
During the trial, a pregnant 13-year-old girl testified on behalf of DeShazo. The girl, from Foreman, Arkansas, testified that she was there with DeShazo and two other people. She testified that she exited the van to use the restroom, heard a noise, and saw three Black males. She went back to the van and told the others, "there is someone out there". DeShazo took a gun out of a gun case, then he and Ronnie Ayres, another one of the van's occupants, got out of the car and went around the building. The 13-year old testified she heard DeShazo yell "Stop", and shots being fired.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Lake|first=Charles S.|date=1980-09-10|title=Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 66, No. 308, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 10, 1980|url=https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1495062/m1/2/zoom/|access-date=2021-05-02|website=The Gateway to Oklahoma History|language=English}}</ref> |
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Victor Johnson testified at the trial that the boys heard a man yell "Freeze or I'll Shoot". The boys kept running and the man shot.<ref name=":3" /> Thad Gillis, the club's security guard testified that he saw a nude woman standing next to the van DeShazo and his companions were in right before he heard the shots.<ref name=":3" /> |
Victor Johnson testified at the trial that the boys heard a man yell "Freeze or I'll Shoot". The boys kept running and the man shot.<ref name=":3" /> Thad Gillis, the club's security guard testified that he saw a nude woman standing next to the van DeShazo and his companions were in right before he heard the shots.<ref name=":3" /> |
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Revision as of 20:54, 23 July 2021
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Comment: Sources are almst all from one source. Needs significant coverage from multiple reliable secondary sources. Nightenbelle (talk) 20:54, 23 July 2021 (UTC)
Henry Lee Johnson (1964 - January 20, 1980) was a 15-year-old African-American who was murdered in Idabel, Oklahoma by a white man in 1980 after entering the parking lot of the Black Hat Club. His murder led to a race riot in Idabel, that left two more men dead.
The murder
The Black Hat Club in Idabel, Oklahoma was a whites-only club[1] on the outskirts of the Black side of town. In the weeks leading up to the murder, there had been other racial incidents at the club.[2] In the early hours of Sunday, January, 20, 1980, Henry Lee Johnson, his 13-year-old brother Victor Johnson, and a group of other boys entered the parking lot through a hole in the gate. They were chased by Walter Anthony 'Tony' DeShazo, a white man from Horatio, Arkansas, who fired several shots in their direction. The group of boys ran away and discovered that Henry Lee Johnson was no longer with them. They returned the next morning to look for him, which was when his body was discovered.[3]
The riots
Immediately following the discovery of Henry Lee Johnson's body, rumors began to circulate, including that the youth was severely beaten[1] and lynched.[4] This angered the Black community and led to rioting.[5] Several businesses were burned down, including the Black Hat Club. During the riots, two men, William Mack JR, Black, and Rueben Farmer, white, were both killed. Investigators concluded that William Mack JR and Rueben Farmer had shot each other. In the days following the riots, the Ku Klux Klan were in Idabel passing out flyers and recruiting new members.[6]
Walter Anthony 'Tony' DeShazo, was from a prominent family in Horatio, he turned himself in and confessed to the murder[7] on January 21, 1980. He was charged with first degree murder and bonded out for $25,000 on January 23, 1980.[1]
The trial
In September, 1980 District Judge Gail Craytor downgraded Tony DeShazo's charges to second degree murder, citing no proof of premeditation or malice.[8] Sitting Oklahoma Senator Gene Stipe was the lead defense attorney for DeShazo.
During the trial, a pregnant 13-year-old girl testified on behalf of DeShazo. The girl, from Foreman, Arkansas, testified that she was there with DeShazo and two other people. She testified that she exited the van to use the restroom, heard a noise, and saw three Black males. She went back to the van and told the others, "there is someone out there". DeShazo took a gun out of a gun case, then he and Ronnie Ayres, another one of the van's occupants, got out of the car and went around the building. The 13-year old testified she heard DeShazo yell "Stop", and shots being fired.[9]
Victor Johnson testified at the trial that the boys heard a man yell "Freeze or I'll Shoot". The boys kept running and the man shot.[9] Thad Gillis, the club's security guard testified that he saw a nude woman standing next to the van DeShazo and his companions were in right before he heard the shots.[9]
The murder confession was never seen or heard by the jury, as Associate Judge H.F. Followell refused to allow prosecutors to present it.[7] Senator Stripe told the jury that another man, Frank Murphy, in another van was there that night and implicated him in the murder.[8] Murphy denied any involvement.[9]
In January 1981, DeShazo was acquitted of all charges.[10] No other person was ever arrested in connection with the murder.
References
- ^ a b c Lake, Charles S. (1980-03-14). "Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 66, No. 155, Ed. 1 Friday, March 14, 1980". The Gateway to Oklahoma History. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
- ^ "Okla. Town Tense After Night of Rioting, Gunfire". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
- ^ Lake, Charles S. (1980-09-10). "Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 66, No. 308, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 10, 1980". The Gateway to Oklahoma History. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
- ^ Lake, Charles S. (1980-09-09). "Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 66, No. 307, Ed. 1 Tuesday, September 9, 1980". The Gateway to Oklahoma History. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "San Antonio Register (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 48, No. 42, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 24, 1980". The Portal to Texas History. 1980-01-24. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
- ^ "The Bonham Daily Favorite - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
- ^ a b Lake, Charles S. (1980-12-21). "Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 67, No. 85, Ed. 1 Sunday, December 21, 1980". The Gateway to Oklahoma History. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
- ^ a b Lake, Charles S. (1980-09-11). "Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 66, No. 309, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 11, 1980". The Gateway to Oklahoma History. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
- ^ a b c d Lake, Charles S. (1980-09-10). "Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 66, No. 308, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 10, 1980". The Gateway to Oklahoma History. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
- ^ Company, Johnson Publishing (1981-01-29). Jet. Johnson Publishing Company.
{{cite book}}:|last=has generic name (help)