Arthur Warren
Encyclopedia
Arthur "J.R." Warren was a 26-year-old African American
gay man, who resided in Grant Town, West Virginia
. On July 3, 2000 he was murdered by two teenage white males, in what is believed to have been a hate crime
.
and lobbied for the inclusion of sexual orientation
in West Virginia's hate crimes law.
With his parents, Warren was a regular churchgoer, and attended the Missionary Baptist assembly—which split from the Southern Baptists over support for slavery. He also attended meetings of a gay student group at nearby Fairmont State College.
Instead of attending the fireworks, Warren went to meet with 17-year-old David Parker, an acquaintance, at an empty house owned by Parker's family. Parker was painting the house, along with his 17-year-old cousin Jared Wilson and Jared's 15-year-old Jason Shoemaker. While there, the three drank beer, smoked marijuana, and huffed gasoline fumes, inhaling them in order to get high.
Parker reportedly asked Warren to bring cigarettes, condoms, porn, and Xanax, the latter of which Warren had been prescribed as an anti-anxiety medication. Warren reportedly brought both cigarettes and Xanax to the house, where the other three boys began to crush and snort the tablets.
reported that "sources close to the story" said that Parker and Warren had a sexual relationship and that Warren had also had a sexual relationship with Wilson. Marion County
Prosecutor G. Richard Brunner later said the allegations of sexual activity were hearsay. The AP stood by its story. Parkers attorney would later claim that Parker had been sexually involved with Warren 30 times since he was 10 years old, and that Warren had given Parker drugs and alcohol before most of their encounters.
At some point during the argument, Parker and Wilson began beating Warren and kicking him with steel-toed boots. Shoemaker witnessed the beating but did not participate. Court documents record that Parker later said Shoemaker egged him on to confront Warren.
Afterwards, the three boys put a bloodied Warren in Parker's car. Parker drove and Shoemaker sat in the front seat while Jared sat in back with Warren. Warren was still conscious enough to repeatedly ask to be taken home.
Near the edge of town, Parker and Wilson removed Warren's body from the car and placed it in the road while Shoemaker remained in the car. Parker then ran over Warren with his car a total of four times, to disguise the death as a hit-and-run. The three boys then returned to the house where the assault had taken place, cleaned up the blood and disposed of their bloodied clothes by burning them with gasoline. Parker then huffed the fumes from the gasoline.
Warren's body was discovered by a newspaper carrier at 5:30 a.m., by the side of W.VA Route 17, in Grant Town
.
Parker and Wilson were arrested while attending an Independence Day
celebration with their families. They were reported to have confessed to Warren's murder. Because the suspects were minors, law enforcement officers were prohibited from discussing the content of their confessions.
Marion County
Sheriff Ron Watkins said there was no evidence that Warren's murder was a hate crime
, but that law enforcement official had not ruled out the possibility. Sherrif Watkins later met with the president of the Fairmont State College Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual student group, of which Warren was a member even though he did not attend the college. The Human Rights Campaign
joined students in advising law enforcement officials on the possibility that Warren's murder was a hate crime.
His parents, Brenda and Arthur Warren insisted that the coffin be open for viewing. "We want people to see what they did to my son," said Brenda Warren. The Warrens later told CNN
during an interview that they hoped the suspects would be tried as adults and the murder treated as a hate crime
.
Two vigils were held in Warren's honor on July 11, one by the West Virginia Lesbian and Gay Coalition at the West Virginia State Capitol
and one in front of the Marion County courthouse
by the Fairmont State College gay and lesbian student group.
The Marion County
vigil was attended by more than 600 people, where local clergy spoke and were joined by members of the Warren family. A handful of protesters from the family of Fred Phelps
, leader of the Westboro Baptist Church
which the Southern Poverty Law Center
labels a hate group
, in Topeka, Kansas
, also attended. Gay and lesbian students from West Virginia University
carried white banners to block the view of the protesters.
On August 21, 2001 Jared Wilson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder -- reduced from first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit a felony, -- and received a 20-year prison sentence.
Shoemaker, was charged as an accessory after the fact, and tried as a juvenile for helping dispose of evidence after the murder.
In June 2002, Brenda and Arthur warren filed a wrongful death lawsuit against his killers. Their family attorney, Paul Farrell, said that in defending themselves Parker and Wilson had portrayed Warren as a sexual predator and themselves as the victims, and that Mrs. Warren "didn't feel like she had the chance to tell her side of the story."
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
gay man, who resided in Grant Town, West Virginia
Grant Town, West Virginia
Grant Town is a town in Marion County, West Virginia, in the eastern United States. The population was 657 at the 2000 census.The town was formed in 1901 with the opening of the Federal Coal and Coke Company bituminous coal mine, and was named for Robert Grant, vice president of the coal company. ...
. On July 3, 2000 he was murdered by two teenage white males, in what is believed to have been a hate crime
Hate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
.
The Background
Known as "J.R.", Warren—who lived with learning disabilities and a birth defect that caused him to be born with several fingers missing on one hand—was widely regarded in his community as a "soft spoken" young man. At 16, he came out to his mother and the minister at his church, and found acceptance and support with both. After his death, his mother—Brenda Warren—addressed a hate crimes rally in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and lobbied for the inclusion of sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
in West Virginia's hate crimes law.
With his parents, Warren was a regular churchgoer, and attended the Missionary Baptist assembly—which split from the Southern Baptists over support for slavery. He also attended meetings of a gay student group at nearby Fairmont State College.
The Meeting
Warren left his parents' home around 11:30 p.m. on July 3, 2000, to watch the Fourth of July fireworks in Grant Town. His mother said she reminded him of his 12:30 a.m. curfew, and when he had not returned home by 2:30 a.m. she assumed he was spending the night at a friend's.Instead of attending the fireworks, Warren went to meet with 17-year-old David Parker, an acquaintance, at an empty house owned by Parker's family. Parker was painting the house, along with his 17-year-old cousin Jared Wilson and Jared's 15-year-old Jason Shoemaker. While there, the three drank beer, smoked marijuana, and huffed gasoline fumes, inhaling them in order to get high.
Parker reportedly asked Warren to bring cigarettes, condoms, porn, and Xanax, the latter of which Warren had been prescribed as an anti-anxiety medication. Warren reportedly brought both cigarettes and Xanax to the house, where the other three boys began to crush and snort the tablets.
The Murder
An argument ensued at the house when Parker accused Warren of spreading a rumor that the two had a sexual relationship. Warren denied doing so. The Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported that "sources close to the story" said that Parker and Warren had a sexual relationship and that Warren had also had a sexual relationship with Wilson. Marion County
Marion County, West Virginia
| style="float:right;"|As of the census of 2000, there were 56,598 people, 23,652 households, and 15,515 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile . There were 26,660 housing units at an average density of 86 per square mile...
Prosecutor G. Richard Brunner later said the allegations of sexual activity were hearsay. The AP stood by its story. Parkers attorney would later claim that Parker had been sexually involved with Warren 30 times since he was 10 years old, and that Warren had given Parker drugs and alcohol before most of their encounters.
At some point during the argument, Parker and Wilson began beating Warren and kicking him with steel-toed boots. Shoemaker witnessed the beating but did not participate. Court documents record that Parker later said Shoemaker egged him on to confront Warren.
Afterwards, the three boys put a bloodied Warren in Parker's car. Parker drove and Shoemaker sat in the front seat while Jared sat in back with Warren. Warren was still conscious enough to repeatedly ask to be taken home.
Near the edge of town, Parker and Wilson removed Warren's body from the car and placed it in the road while Shoemaker remained in the car. Parker then ran over Warren with his car a total of four times, to disguise the death as a hit-and-run. The three boys then returned to the house where the assault had taken place, cleaned up the blood and disposed of their bloodied clothes by burning them with gasoline. Parker then huffed the fumes from the gasoline.
Warren's body was discovered by a newspaper carrier at 5:30 a.m., by the side of W.VA Route 17, in Grant Town
Grant Town, West Virginia
Grant Town is a town in Marion County, West Virginia, in the eastern United States. The population was 657 at the 2000 census.The town was formed in 1901 with the opening of the Federal Coal and Coke Company bituminous coal mine, and was named for Robert Grant, vice president of the coal company. ...
.
The Confession
Though threatened with death by Parker and Wilson if he revealed the murder, Shoemaker told his mother, Norma Shoemaker, about the murder. Norma Shoemaker called the police later that morning. Police had initially believed Warren was the victim of a hit-and-run accident, but switched to a homicide investigation upon receiving Norma Shoemaker's call.Parker and Wilson were arrested while attending an Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
celebration with their families. They were reported to have confessed to Warren's murder. Because the suspects were minors, law enforcement officers were prohibited from discussing the content of their confessions.
Marion County
Marion County, West Virginia
| style="float:right;"|As of the census of 2000, there were 56,598 people, 23,652 households, and 15,515 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile . There were 26,660 housing units at an average density of 86 per square mile...
Sheriff Ron Watkins said there was no evidence that Warren's murder was a hate crime
Hate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
, but that law enforcement official had not ruled out the possibility. Sherrif Watkins later met with the president of the Fairmont State College Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual student group, of which Warren was a member even though he did not attend the college. The Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
joined students in advising law enforcement officials on the possibility that Warren's murder was a hate crime.
The aftermath
Arthur Warren's funeral was held on July 8, 2000, at his family's church, and was attended by hundreds of mourners.His parents, Brenda and Arthur Warren insisted that the coffin be open for viewing. "We want people to see what they did to my son," said Brenda Warren. The Warrens later told CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
during an interview that they hoped the suspects would be tried as adults and the murder treated as a hate crime
Hate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
.
Two vigils were held in Warren's honor on July 11, one by the West Virginia Lesbian and Gay Coalition at the West Virginia State Capitol
West Virginia State Capitol
The West Virginia State Capitol is the seat of government for the state of West Virginia, and houses the West Virginia Legislature and the office of the Governor of West Virginia. Located in Charleston, West Virginia, the building was dedicated in 1932...
and one in front of the Marion County courthouse
Marion County Courthouse (West Virginia)
The Marion County Courthouse is a Beaux-Arts style building in Fairmont, West Virginia, in the United States. The courthouse was constructed from 1897 to 1900, and was designed by the architectural firm of Yost & Packard of Columbus, Ohio...
by the Fairmont State College gay and lesbian student group.
The Marion County
Marion County, West Virginia
| style="float:right;"|As of the census of 2000, there were 56,598 people, 23,652 households, and 15,515 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile . There were 26,660 housing units at an average density of 86 per square mile...
vigil was attended by more than 600 people, where local clergy spoke and were joined by members of the Warren family. A handful of protesters from the family of Fred Phelps
Fred Phelps
Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. is an American pastor heading the Westboro Baptist Church , an independent Baptist church based in Topeka, Kansas...
, leader of the Westboro Baptist Church
Westboro Baptist Church
The Westboro Baptist Church is an independent Baptist church known for its extreme stance against homosexuality and its protest activities, which include picketing funerals and desecrating the American flag. The church is widely described as a hate group and is monitored as such by the...
which the Southern Poverty Law Center
Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center is an American nonprofit civil rights organization noted for its legal victories against white supremacist groups; legal representation for victims of hate groups; monitoring of alleged hate groups, militias and extremist organizations; and educational programs that...
labels a hate group
Hate group
A hate group is an organized group or movement that advocates and practices hatred, hostility, or violence towards members of a race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or other designated sector of society...
, in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, also attended. Gay and lesbian students from West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
carried white banners to block the view of the protesters.
The Hearings
On July 19, 2001 David Parker pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and in July 2001 was sentenced to life in prison with mercy, which would make him eligible for parole in 15 years. In exchange for his plea, a second count of conspiracy to commit a felony was dismissed. Parker also agreed to testify against Wilson.On August 21, 2001 Jared Wilson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder -- reduced from first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit a felony, -- and received a 20-year prison sentence.
Shoemaker, was charged as an accessory after the fact, and tried as a juvenile for helping dispose of evidence after the murder.
In June 2002, Brenda and Arthur warren filed a wrongful death lawsuit against his killers. Their family attorney, Paul Farrell, said that in defending themselves Parker and Wilson had portrayed Warren as a sexual predator and themselves as the victims, and that Mrs. Warren "didn't feel like she had the chance to tell her side of the story."