John Earl Reese (October 9, 1939 – October 23, 1955) was an African American teenager who was murdered in Gregg County, Texas. Reese's killing is considered by authorities today to have been a

hate crime A hate crime (also known as a bias-motivated crime or bias crime) is a prejudice-motivated crime which occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of their membership (or perceived membership) of a certain social group or racial demograph ...

, designed to thwart the creation of a new school in the community.

Death and afterward

On October 22, 1955, Reese, along with his cousins Joyce Faye Crockett Nelson and Johnnie Crockett, were dancing in a local cafe. Two white men, Joe Simpson and Perry Dean Ross, shot the teenagers from a passing car. His cousins survived, but Reese died the next day. The two suspects shot up some homes and churches before being arrested. Ross, the shooter in the Reese murder, was convicted of

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...

, and given a five-year

suspended sentence A suspended sentence is a sentence on conviction for a criminal offence, the serving of which the court orders to be deferred in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation. If the defendant does not break the law during that ...

. Simpson was indicted but the charge was dismissed. The Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project has taken the following steps in response to Reese's murder: * amending the death certificate from accident to homicide * overseeing the creation of new gravestones. * renaming a local street to John Earl Reese Road

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reese, John Earl People involved with the civil rights movement 1955 deaths 1939 births People from Gregg County, Texas Deaths by firearm in Texas Murdered African-American people Murdered American children People murdered in Texas Male murder victims History of racism in Texas

Death and afterward

Further reading

References