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Billy Jack Gaither
The murder of Billy Jack Gaither took place in Alabama on February 19, 1999. Two acquaintances, Steven Eric Mullins and Charles Monroe Butler, beat Gaither to death, slashed his throat, and burned his body. Both admitted that they murdered Gaither because of his sexual orientation, as Gaither, who was 39 at the time of his murder, was a gay man. Mullins, who took a plea deal to avoid the death penalty, argued that both he and Butler were equally responsible for Gaither's murder, while Butler argued at trial that Mullins was the primary aggressor in the crime. Butler was convicted of murder as well, and both men received sentences of life without parole. Gaither's murder gained significant coverage in state and national news, especially as it occurred in relatively close proximity to the similar high-profile murders of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr, both of which were motivated by prejudice against sexual and racial minorities respectively. In 2000, Gaither's murder was cove ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sylacauga, Alabama
Sylacauga is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,578. Sylacauga is known for its fine white marble bedrock. This was discovered shortly after settlers moved into the area and has been quarried ever since. The marble industry was the first recorded industry in the Sylacauga area. Sylacauga is the site of the first documented case of an object from outer space hitting a person. On November 30, 1954, a piece of what became known as the Hodges Fragment from the Sylacauga Meteorite crashed through the roof of an Oak Grove house, bounced off a radio, and badly bruised Ann Hodges, who was taking an afternoon nap. History The first historical account of the area comes from de Soto's chroniclers as his expedition traveled south along the east bank of the Coosa River in 1540, encountering the town of Talisi at the edges of the Mississippian-era chiefdoms of Coosa and Tuskaloosa. The inhabitants of the Coosa River Vall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
