Texas Dragging Death Trial
				Background Feb. 16. Update (Opening Statements) Feb. 17 Update Feb. 18 Update (Morning) Feb. 18 Update (Afternoon) Feb. 19 Update The Message Board Feb. 22 Update (Morning) Feb. 22 Update (Afternoon) Feb. 23 Update (Closing Arguments) Feb. 23 Update (The Verdict) Feb. 24 Update (The Penalty Phase) Penalty Phase Analysis Feb. 25 Update (The Sentencing) March 11 Update March 29 Update April 19 Update April 20 Update April 22 Update April 28 Update

JASPER, Texas (Court TV) — A Texas judge denied a defense request to move the trial of second defendant involved in the 1998 dragging murder of James Byrd, Jr. out of Jasper.

On Tuesday, lawyers for Lawrence Brewer argued that their client could not receive a fair trial in the small town because of pre-trial publicity and the conviction of the first defendant, John King, in February.

Brewer is scheduled to go on trial May 17 for his alleged participation in the death of Byrd, a 49-year-old black man who was beaten, chained to the back of a pickup, and dragged along back roads for more than two miles until his body was dismembered. Brewer is accused of helping his former roommates Shawn Berry and John King beat Byrd, strip him, chain him to a pickup truck and drag him two-and-half miles until his head was severed.

Brewer's defense claimed Jasper residents will not be able to consider his degree of innocence and will only be focused on redeeming the town.

Prosecutors, however, argued that Brewer could get as far a trial in Jasper as anywhere in Texas.

Berry, the only defendant who gave police a statement, said that King wanted to "teach Byrd a lesson" and initiated the fatal attack. During King's trial, prosecutors presented evidence suggesting that King killed Byrd as part of an initiation rite for a new white supremacist group he was trying to organize. It was also suggested that he was trying to recruit Berry for the group and tried to persuade him to participate in Byrd's murder to get initiated into the organization.

After their arrest, King sent Brewer a prison note that was intercepted in which he called Berry a "traitor" and bragged "Regardless of the outcome of this, we have made history."

Court TV's Bryan Robinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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