An avowed racist who orchestrated one of the most gruesome hate crimes in U.S. history was executed Wednesday in Texas for the dragging death of a black man. King, 44, was put to death at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. Over the years, King had also suggested the brutal slaying was not a hate crime, but a drug deal gone bad involving his co-defendants. In a 2001 interview with the AP, King said he was an "avowed racist" but wasn't "a hate-monger murderer." "I hope people remember him not as a hate crime statistic.

Source: Fox News April 25, 2019 00:43 UTC