A grand jury in the racially-troubled northeast Texas town of Paris returned first-degree murder indictments Thursday against two white men accused in the September dragging death of a Black man, and the prosecutor in the case said he is investigating whether to add hate-crime charges. [SOURCE]
Shannon Finley and Charles Ryan Crostley, both 27, face up to life in prison if convicted of charg
es that they murdered 24-year-old Brandon McClelland by running him over and dragging him beneath a pickup truck after the three went on a late-night beer run.McClelland's mutilated and partially-dismembered body was found lying in the middle of a remote county highway. Local police initially dismissed the case as an ordinary hit-and-run.
The victim's mother said she was relieved to learn of the murder indictments.
"I'm glad to know that they won't sweep this under the rug," said Jacqueline McClelland. "Now I know that justice will get served and this family can get some rest and ease."
