Lennon Lacy was a 17 year old African American high school student whose body was found hanging from a children’s swing set in a largely white mobile home park in rural North Carolina less than two months ago. The local police declared his death a suicide within nine hours of finding his body – despite the fact that the shoes on his feet were not his own and were two sizes too small, despite his parents saying that conclusion couldn’t be right and despite the fact that locals in the small, rural town he lived in have alluded that his death might have been a hate crime. Lennon Lacy, a 17 year old African American high school student, was found hanging by the neck in a largely white trailer park and local police closed the case on the possibility that he was lynched before performing any investigation. Why don't more people know about this?
Lennon’s family wants a federal investigation. The NAACP has asked for a federal investigation saying “we believed there was a good possibility of a race-based homicide and possible law-enforcement involvement in the decision to provide the State Medical Examiner with their conclusion that this was a suicide before any real investigation of a possible homicide had been undertaken.“
I wrote a diary about this yesterday. The title was provocative and specifically mentioned lynching. More people cared about a fire chief using the N-word. I find that shameful. I will keep writing about Lennon Lacy and the need for a federal investigation every.single.day until this community knows his name and why a federal investigation is important.
My diary from yesterday appears below. Whether or not you read it, please join me in pushing for a federal investigation into the possible murder by lynching of this child.
Thomas G. Walker, USA
Office of the United States Attorney
310 New Bern Avenue
Federal Building, Suite 800
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601-1461
Phone: (919) 856-4530
Fax: (919) 856-4487
USANCE.webmaster@usdoj.gov
Congressman Mike McIntyre (outgoing)
2428 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2731
Fax: (202) 225-5773
More about this case:
http://www.lennonlacy.com/
http://www.theguardian.com/...
http://www.theroot.com/...
On August 29, the body of 17 year old Lennon Lacy was found hanging from a children's swing set in 'a predominantly white' mobile home park in rural Bladenboro, North Carolina (population 1,750). Lennon Lacy was African American. The shoes on his feet did not belong to him and were two sizes to small. Abrasions and lumps marred his body and face. According to police, these injuries were caused by ants but the undertaker who embalmed the body said they were reminiscent of damage sustained in bar fights. Despite these red flags, the coroner quickly ruled Lacy's death a suicide.
Yesterday, Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President of the NC NAACP, and Attorney Al McSurely met with U.S. Attorney Thomas Walker to request a federal investigation into Lacy's death as a possible hate crime.
According to the NAACP:
• Shortly after Lennon Lacy’s body was reported hanging from a child’s swing set in a predominantly white mobile home park in downtown Bladenboro in late August, his uncle, a lifetime member of the NAACP, asked the NC NAACP State Conference to assist the Lacys in examining more closely the evidence, which did not align with the prevailing law enforcement’s conclusion that Lennon had managed to kill himself, with no one else involved.
• Based on Dr. Roberts’ report, and the many questions raised by our preliminary investigation of the people closest to Lennon during the last few days and weeks of his life, we came to the understanding that this case was much more complicated than a suicide resulting from depression following his uncle’s death. (It is important to note that depression was not clinically diagnosed.) Lennon’s uncle had been sick for some time, and his family and their minister were prepared for his death. They had a home-going funeral that evening to express their great sorrow and sadness. Lennon Lacy showed no such signs of suicidal ideations or clinical depression.
• The same day, Thursday, Lennon was washing out football gear and hanging it out on his line in preparation for his first big home game on Friday evening. Lennon’s alleged depression resulting from his uncle’s death, which was incorporated in the first autopsy report, was not determined by a medical expert.
• Last week Ms. Lacy, Pierre Lacy, Ms. Rattelade, and Mr. McSurely met with the Bladen D.A. Jon David. The Lacys and our lawyers reviewed the basis of our skepticism about the quick determination of suicide by the officials who were in charge of the investigation. We told Prosecutor David that we believed there was a good possibility of a race-based homicide and possible law-enforcement involvement in the decision to provide the State Medical Examiner with their conclusion that this was a suicide before any real investigation of a possible homicide had been undertaken. We told Prosecutor David that, based on federal laws regarding hate crimes and other civil rights statutes, we were going to formally request the U.S. Department of Justice’s participation in this hot-case—as opposed to “cold case” investigation.
Yesterday's press conference regarding the request for a federal investigation:
The letter requesting a federal investigation:
U.S. Attorney Thomas Walker
U.S. Courthouse Raleigh, NC
November 13, 2014
RE: Request for U.S. Department of Justice to Join the Current Investigation of the Suspicious Death of Lennon Lacy in Bladenboro, NC on the night of August 28-29, 2014
Dear U.S. Attorney Walker:
On behalf of the family of Lennon Lacy of Bladenboro, NC and of the NC NAACP, I respectfully request the U.S. Department of Justice, pursuant to its authority under the Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA), 18 U.S. Code § 249; the Conspiracy Against Rights Act, 18 U.S. Code § 241; and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, 42 U.S.C. § 14141; actively join the current investigation of the suspicious hanging death of Lennon Lacy.
The investigation is now being conducted by a team of SBI investigators, working under the general direction of the Bladen D.A., Mr. Jon David. The NC NAACP's preliminary investigation suggested this team had made a "quick call" that Lennon Lacy killed himself with no involvement of anyone else. When the family or the NC NAACP have made any suggestions that this was a premature call, this team has not looked into other possible scenarios that night, but instead takes steps to bolster its hasty conclusion that there was "no foul play" involved in the young man's death. Given evidence uncovered by the NC NAACP, there are several other possible explanations for his death besides a simple suicide.
On November 11 2014, NC NAACP lawyer Heather Rattelade received a report from Dr.
Christina Roberts, an experienced medical pathologist retained by the NC NAACP. Dr. Roberts had met with NC Medical Examiner Dr. Deborah Radisch to review the Chief Medical Examiner 's notes and final report. (Dr. Roberts' report of this meeting is awaiting Dr. Radisch's final approval. We expect its return within a couple of days, and we will provide it to you as soon as we receive it. We have promised a copy to D.A. David also.) Dr. Roberts' Report to the NC NAACP included the following statement:
Review of Background and Investigative Information:
When conducting a death investigation to determine COD and MOD [Method of Death suicide] it is necessary to gather all of the information about the person s medical, social and psychiatric history and the events of the days leading up to their death. The information provided to the Medical Examiner Office was that Lennon was depressed over the recent death of his uncle. The family reported that Lennon's great uncle had died. He was asking questions about death that he had not discussed before but there were no expressions of wishing to bring about his own death. He did not express a desire to hurt himself or to a wish to [no} longer be around He was not making preparations to put his life in orde1: For instance, some individuals may give away prized possessions or let someone know they care about that they won i be around He did not write a suicide note or send any text messages that would be thought to represent a suicide note or saying goodbye. The medical records are not available at this time for review but there is no report that Lennon had attempted suicide in the past or expressed suicide ideations. There is no long term history of depression. There is no history of alcohol or drug abuse.
In contrast to be[ing] depressed, Lennon was looking forward to playing the next day in a football game as a lineman. In a conversation that he had the night before his death he explained that his grades from the previous year hadn't been good enough to allow him to play varsity football. He had been working very hard at school to improve his grades and was being rewarded with the opportunity to play in the game the following day This conversation was with a man who worked for the funeral home at a dinner gathering following some portion of his uncle's funeral events
On 12 November 2014, Lennon's mother and brother, with NAACP attorneys Heather Rattelade and Alan McSurely, met with D.A. David and pointed out some of the reasons why the family and the NAACP were not satisfied with the thoroughness and direction of the current investigation. D.A. David re-iterated he was committed to a thorough investigation, as he has assured the family in the past.
The NAACP is not equipped with forensic resources such as those used by the FBI. We have, unfortunately, some experience with the southern phenomena of quick call suicides where suspicious deaths of Black men are quickly classified as 'suicides.' This assures they receive less than vigorous crime scene preservation and investigation, incomplete or no autopsies, and a racialized outcry from the public is encouraged to discredit the traumatized family's disbelief of law enforcement's quick classification. Often the law enforcement team consciously or unconsciously blames the family for its skepticism of the suicide classification, by saying the family is in denial, and it does not want to admit the family member was 'mentally ill' or 'suicidal.'
This cycle of distrust happened here. Given the deep distrust that had developed between the family and the current investigators; given the possible race-based animus toward Lennon and his family by some of their neighbors; given the close connections in this small town between local law enforcement and witnesses involved in interactions with Lennon just before, during, and after the night of his death; given the illegal drug transactions in and around this case; we believe that the intervention of the U.S. Department of Justice is necessary. When we suggested this idea to D.A. David, he was receptive.
Therefore, we hand-deliver this request that you, after a preliminary investigation to determine U.S. jurisdiction, open a federal investigation of the circumstances leading up to Lennon Lacy's death, the handling of the crime scene, the Medical Examiner, preserving DNA and other evidence that might lead to others involvement in what has been called a suicide, and whether there has been any conspiracy to develop a common explanation for some of the questions that have come to the public's mind as evidence that contradicts the suicide finding trickles out.
We would be pleased to meet with the investigators you ask to conduct a preliminary investigation to determine federal jurisdiction and, if you decide you do have jurisdiction, to work with your office in making sure the Lacy family achieves the truth . . . the whole truth . . . about the ugly events surrounding Lennon Lacy's death.
Thank you for meeting with us so quickly.
Please join me in supporting the NAACP's efforts to have this case properly investigated:
Thomas G. Walker, USA
Office of the United States Attorney
310 New Bern Avenue
Federal Building, Suite 800
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601-1461
Phone: (919) 856-4530
Fax: (919) 856-4487
USANCE.webmaster@usdoj.gov
Congressman Mike McIntyre (outgoing)
2428 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2731
Fax: (202) 225-5773
More about this case:
http://www.lennonlacy.com/
http://www.theguardian.com/...
http://www.theroot.com/...
Fri Nov 21, 2014 at 10:03 AM PT: As I have posted in a new diary, an independent pathologist retained by the NAACP has released her report. It is gruesome but answers many questions including: why the shoes can't be tested for DNA (they have disappeared); why it is implausible/impossible for this to have been a suicide; an alternate possible explanation for what happened to Lennon Lacy.
It is significant that, as I understand it, the only report of Lennon being suspended from the swing set came from a female caller to 911. During that call, she said she was going to cut the body down. The newly released report raises many questions about whether or not the body was ever actually suspended.
And we come back to the same question: why were the police so quick to close this case by declaring it a suicide?
You can read the pathologist's report here: http://www.dailykos.com/...