The Santa Line Slaying was a
national
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
ly publicized incident that occurred on December 21, 1971, in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
. The incident resulted in the death of one man, Jack Fitzpatrick. Tyrone Howard was convicted of manslaughter and served 11 months in prison. In 2005, the incident attracted some attention again when it was revealed that Tyrone Howard is the father of actor
Terrence Howard
Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor. Having his first major roles in the 1995 films ''Dead Presidents'' and '' Mr. Holland's Opus'', Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of television and cinema roles ...
, who witnessed the incident as a young boy. Terrence Howard gave an interview on ''
Oprah
Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...
'' about the incident, but his account of what happened was later contradicted by his father, who accused him of trying to garner publicity for his own career.
Incident
There are differing accounts of the events that led to the death of Jack Fitzpatrick. But what is beyond dispute is this:
21-year-old Tyrone Howard and his pregnant wife took their three sons (one of whom was two-year-old Terrence) to see
Santa Claus
Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...
at a
Higbee's
Higbee's was a department store founded in 1860 in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1987, Higbee's was sold to the joint partnership of Dillard's department stores and Youngstown-based developer, Edward J. DeBartolo. The stores continued to operate under th ...
department store
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...
in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
's
Public Square
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...
. Also waiting in the long line was 36-year-old Jack Fitzpatrick who was with three of his own children while his pregnant wife shopped with their oldest daughter. At one point, the Howards were accused of cutting in the line by some of the others waiting including Fitzpatrick. An argument began between the two men. What was said in the argument and who initiated the altercation differs among
witness
In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...
es. But the result was Fitzpatrick grabbed Howard, pinned him against a wall and kneed him in the
groin
In human anatomy, the groin (the adjective is ''inguinal'', as in inguinal canal) is the junctional area (also known as the inguinal region) between the abdomen and the thigh on either side of the pubic bone. This is also known as the medial comp ...
. Howard's groin began bleeding from a previous injury he received on his job. Howard then used a sharp object to stab Fitzpatrick several times in the thighs and neck until Fitzpatrick fell to the floor. Howard fled to his mother's home. Hours later, he turned himself in to police. Fitzpatrick was taken to a nearby
hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
and died from his wounds.
Aftermath
The incident made
headline
The headline or heading is the text indicating the content or nature of the article below it, typically by providing a form of brief summary of its contents.
The large type ''front page headline'' did not come into use until the late 19th centur ...
s in the local Cleveland newspapers who called the incident "The Santa Line Slaying". It was also widely reported in newspapers around the country. The local newspapers reported the altercation as
racially
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
-motivated due to Fitzpatrick being white and Howard being black. Some witnesses claimed that
racial slurs
The following is a list of ethnic slurs or ethnophaulisms or ethnic epithets that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnicity or racial group or to refer to them in a derogatory, pejorative, or oth ...
were used by Fitzpatrick. It was also reported that the weapon Howard used was a knife which he had in his jacket. Cleveland's then-
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
Ralph Perk
Ralph Joseph Perk (January 19, 1914 – April 21, 1999) was an American politician of the Republican Party who served as the 52nd mayor of Cleveland, Ohio.
Early life
Born to an ethnic Czech American family in Cleveland, Perk dropped out of ...
publicly denounced Howard as a murderer. The
Episcopal
Episcopal may refer to:
*Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church
*Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese
*Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name
** Episcopal Church (United State ...
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
of Ohio called the slaying an "atrocity," and compared it to the
Biblical
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
story of
Herod the Great
Herod I (; ; grc-gre, ; c. 72 – 4 or 1 BCE), also known as Herod the Great, was a Roman Jewish client king of Judea, referred to as the Herodian kingdom. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his renov ...
's
Massacre of the Innocents.
Howard was charged with
second-degree murder and pleaded
self-defense
Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in ...
. Fitzpatrick's alleged use of racial
epithets
An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...
was denied by Howard's wife in the resulting trial. But she did testify that he said "Doing things like this has set your race back five years." Howard testified that he angrily
cursed at Fitzpatrick and that led to the altercation. The widow, Mary Fitzpatrick, testified that a security guard separated the two men during the scuffle but Howard then pulled a knife from his jacket and lunged at Fitzpatrick with it. Howard and witnesses testified that while Howard was pinned against the wall, a woman handed him a
nail file
A nail file is a tool used to gently grind down and shape the edges of nails. They are often used in manicures and pedicures after the nail has been trimmed using appropriate nail clippers. Nail files may either be emery boards, ceramic, glass, c ...
which he used to stab Fitzpatrick. But the nail file was never recovered and the unidentified woman never came forward. According to the jury foreman, Jack Petro, "the issue of race did not come up as a factor in the jury room." After a long deliberation, Howard was convicted of
manslaughter
Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...
and received a sentence of 1-to-25 years in prison. After 11 months, Howard was
paroled
Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
for good behavior. Howard had no previous criminal record before the incident. He and his wife divorced shortly after his release from prison.
Terrence Howard's version of the events
While promoting the film ''
Crash
Crash or CRASH may refer to:
Common meanings
* Collision, an impact between two or more objects
* Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond
* Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating
* Couch su ...
'' on ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show
''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...
'', Terrence Howard spoke about his father's involvement in the "Santa Line Slaying". It was the first time he publicly spoke of the incident. As the cast of the film discussed racism in American society, Howard gave an emotional account of the altercation, which he claimed was racially motivated. In Terrence Howard's telling, when he and his mother joined the line Fitzpatrick assumed Tyrone, whose complexion is much lighter than the other Howards, was Caucasian and asked him "Why did you let those
niggers
In the English language, the word ''nigger'' is an ethnic slur used against black people, especially African Americans. Starting in the late 1990s, references to ''nigger'' have been progressively replaced by the euphemism , notably in ca ...
cut you?" Howard said that his father told Fitzpatrick that they were his wife and kids and turned around. Terrence claimed that Fitzpatrick then grabbed his father by the throat and pinned him to the wall. He claimed that Fitzpatrick was 6' 4" tall while his father stood only 5' 8".
His father's incarceration caused the family to move from their
suburban
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
home to a
housing project
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authorities, government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the d ...
in a ghetto.
Tyrone Howard's version of the events
Tyrone was invited to appear on the program with Terrence but refused. Shortly after Terrence's account of the incident, Tyrone gave an interview to the Cleveland newspaper, ''
The Plain Dealer
''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday.
As of Ma ...
'', in which he claims that his son misrepresented his story and maintained that the altercation was not racially motivated.
According to Howard in his interview, after standing in the long line for about 30 minutes, he told his pregnant wife to take Terrence and find a place to sit down. Approximately 45 minutes later, Howard and his sons were close to the front of the line. Howard called for his wife and youngest son to join him in the line. Other people waiting in the line, including Fitzpatrick, did not realize that the woman entering the line was Howard's wife and accused him of letting her cut in. Howard cursed at Fitzpatrick and yelled "If you have anything to say to my wife, say it to me!" Fitzpatrick said "That's a cheap trick, buddy!" and at that point grabbed Howard and pinned him against the wall. After Fitzpatrick fell to the floor from the stabbing, Howard knelt down and tried to put pressure on Fitzpatrick's wounds to stop the bleeding. Some witnesses advised him to flee and he did so in fear. In the interview, Howard expressed remorse for initiating the altercation which led to Fitzpatrick's slaying.
Tyrone Howard said of his son's appearance on ''Oprah'':
After Tyrone Howard's revelation, Terrence's account of the events was removed from the ''Oprah'' website and replaced with a different part of his interview.
Fitzpatrick family's version
According to the Fitzpatricks, Jack did nothing to initiate the altercation and was simply defending himself, though evidence shows he was the initial aggressor. They testified that the Howards cut in the line numerous times and Jack told them "It's not right to sponge in line." (Howard's wife and other witnesses also testified that Fitzpatrick said words to that effect.) In response to Terrence Howard's statements, Jack's daughter, Peggy, who was nine years old at the time, maintained in ''
The Plain Dealer
''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday.
As of Ma ...
'' that since Fitzpatrick was a
seminarian
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
, he was not a man who was prone to violence. She also denied Terrence Howard's claim of her father's large size, stating that Fitzpatrick was 5'8". She also expressed some admiration for Terrence Howard for overcoming his
traumatic childhood
A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...
to become a successful actor.
References
*
**Original ''New York Times'' version: {{cite news , last1=Flint , first1=Jerry M. , first2=Paul , last2=Delaney , date=December 26, 1971 , url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/12/26/archives/2-lifestyles-collide-in-holiday-tragedy-lifestyles-of-two-men.html , title=2 Life‐Styles Collide in Holiday Tragedy , newspaper=
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
Murder in Ohio
1971 murders in the United States
1971 in Ohio
Crimes in Cleveland
December 1971 events in the United States
Deaths by stabbing in the United States
Racial hoaxes