Death of Henry Lee Johnson

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Henry Lee Johnson (1964 – January 20, 1980) was a 15-year-old black teenager who was murdered in Idabel, Oklahoma by a man in 1980 after entering the parking lot of the Black Hat Club. His murder led to a riot in Idabel that left two more men dead.

Murder of Henry Lee Johnson[edit]

The Black Hat Club[1] in Idabel, Oklahoma was a whites-only club on the Black side of town.[2] Prior to the murder, there had been other racial incidents at the club.[1] Late January 19, 1980, Henry Lee Johnson, his 13-year-old brother Victor Johnson, and a group of other boys entered the parking lot through a hole in the gate. They were chased by Walter Anthony 'Tony' DeShazo, a White man from Horatio, Arkansas, who fired several shots in their direction. The group of boys ran away and discovered that Henry Lee Johnson was no longer with them. They returned the next morning to look for him, which was when his body was discovered.[3]

1980 Idabel riot[edit]

Immediately following the discovery of Henry Lee Johnson's body, rumors began to circulate, including that the youth was severely beaten and lynched.[2][4] This led to rioting with clashes between approximately 150 police officers and 200 rioters.[5] During the riots, two men, William Mack Jr., Black, and Idabel auxiliary police officer Ruben Farmer, white, were both killed, In the days following the riots, the Ku Klux Klan were in Oklahoma City and Idabel passing out flyers and recruiting new members.[6] After the riots, Governor George Nigh declared martial law and deployed the Oklahoma National Guard to the county.[7][8] Tensions were heightened during this time by rallies held by imperial wizard Bill Wilkinson of the Ku Klux Klan at the county courthouse in Idabel, Oklahoma and in Oklahoma City.[6][8]

Trial of Walter Anthony 'Tony' DeShazo[edit]

Walter Anthony 'Tony' DeShazo, from a prominent family in Horatio, turned himself in and confessed to the murder in January 1980.[9] He was charged with first-degree murder and bonded out for $25,000 two days later.[2]

In September 1980, District Judge Gail Craytor downgraded Tony DeShazo's charges to second-degree murder, citing no proof of premeditation or malice.[10] Sitting Oklahoma Senator Gene Stipe was the lead defense attorney for DeShazo.[9]

During the trial, a pregnant 13-year-old girl testified on behalf of DeShazo. The girl, from Foreman, Arkansas, testified that she was there with DeShazo and two other people. She testified that she exited the van to use the restroom, heard a noise, and saw three Black males. She went back to the van and told the others, "There is someone out there". DeShazo took a gun out of a gun case, then he and Ronnie Ayres, another one of the van's occupants, got out of the car and went around the building. The 13-year old testified she heard DeShazo yell "Stop", and shots being fired.[3]

Victor Johnson testified at the trial that the boys heard a man yell "Freeze or I'll shoot". The boys kept running and the man shot. Thad Gillis, the club's security guard, testified that he saw a nude woman standing next to the van DeShazo and his companions were in right before he heard the shots.[3]

The murder confession was never seen or heard by the jury, as Associate Judge H. F. Followell refused to allow prosecutors to present it.[9] Senator Stripe told the jury that another man, Frank Murphy, in another van was there that night and implicated him in the murder.[10] Murphy denied any involvement.[3]

In January 1981, DeShazo was acquitted of all charges.[11] No other person was ever arrested in connection with the murder.

Aftermath[edit]

In October of 1980, another Black man, Billy Richards was shot and killed by police, and his companion and a White police officer were also shot but survived.[12] The wounded man, Willie Warhop, filed a $4 million lawsuit against the city of Idabel, but withdrew the suit in exchange for the dismissal of charges for shooting with intent to kill the officer.[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Okla. Town Tense After Night of Rioting, Gunfire". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  2. ^ a b c Lake, Charles S. (March 14, 1980). "Hearing Postponed In Idabel Youth Murder". Sapulpa Daily Herald. Vol. 66, no. 155 (1 ed.). Sapulpa, Oklahoma. UPI. Retrieved 2022-03-25 – via The Gateway to Oklahoma History.
  3. ^ a b c d Lake, Charles S. (September 10, 1980). "Idabel suspect fired shots at teens says companion". Sapulpa Daily Herald. Vol. 66, no. 308 (1 ed.). Sapulpa, Oklahoma. UPI. Retrieved 2022-03-25 – via The Gateway to Oklahoma History.
  4. ^ Lake, Charles S. (September 9, 1980). "State News Briefs". Sapulpa Daily Herald. Vol. 66, no. 307 (1 ed.). Sapulpa, Oklahoma. UPI. Retrieved 2022-03-25 – via The Gateway to Oklahoma History.
  5. ^ Mize, Richard (April 18, 2023). "From Idabel race riots to a tourist boom in Hochatown, six things to know about McCurtain County, Oklahoma". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Idabel begins burying dead of weekend riots". The Bonham Daily Favorite. Bonham, Texas. UPI. January 25, 1980. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-03-26 – via Google News.
  7. ^ "Rioting erupts after Okla. teen's murder". San Antonio Register. Vol. 48, no. 42 (1 ed.). San Antonio, Texas. January 24, 1980. Retrieved 2022-03-26 – via The Portal to Texas History.
  8. ^ a b Murphy, Sean (April 22, 2023). "Oklahoma county worried about fallout from racist recording". Associated Press. ABC News. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Lake, Charles S. (December 21, 1980). "Murder confession withheld from jury". Sapulpa Daily Herald. Vol. 67, no. 85 (1 ed.). Sapulpa, Oklahoma. UPI. Retrieved 2022-03-25 – via The Gateway to Oklahoma History.
  10. ^ a b Lake, Charles S. (September 11, 1980). "In Idabel race slaying Murder trial is ordered". Sapulpa Daily Herald. Vol. 66, no. 309 (1 ed.). Sapulpa, Oklahoma. UPI. Retrieved 2022-03-25 – via The Gateway to Oklahoma History.
  11. ^ Company, Johnson Publishing (1981-01-29). "Idabel, Okla. Calm After Jury Acquits White". Law and Justice. Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. p. 46. Retrieved 2022-03-25 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ Gross, Laurence H (October 12, 1980). "A black man was shot to death". Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  13. ^ Biskupic, Joan M. (August 26, 1984). "Cause of Violence in Idabel Still Debated". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Death_of_Henry_Lee_Johnson&oldid=1186762881"