Christian Prince
Encyclopedia
Christian Haley Prince was a Yale
student whose murder in New Haven highlighted racial and class tensions between town and gown
.
Prince, the son of Edward and Sally Prince of Chevy Chase, Maryland
, was a fourth-generation Yale alumnus, a member of the class of 1993 in his sophomore year, in Pierson College
.
Having dined at Mory's
and attended a party at Sterling-Sheffield-Strathcona Hall, he left his friends behind and was going to his off-campus apartment on Whitney Avenue to rest up for lacrosse practice the next day.
He was killed on the steps of St. Mary's Church, New Haven
on Hillhouse Avenue
, the first Yale student killed on campus since the murder of Gary Stein during a robbery near Grove Street Cemetery in 1974.
His death stunned the campus, and more than 1,000 mourners attended his funeral in Washington, D.C.
, where Prince's brother Ted, also a Yale graduate, gave the eulogy. There was a short term significant decline in applications to Yale which was directly attributed to the murder.
After his killing Yale reevaluated and improved its campus security. Emergency phones and improved lighting were installed; the university police department's size was expanded and a new security force was founded.
Randy Fleming later said that he and James wanted money to attend a rap performance and James suggested they "stick up a cracker
." James Fleming spotted Prince walking home and demanded his money at gunpoint. Prince had handed over his wallet, whereupon James Fleming pistol-whipped him, said "I ought to shoot this cracker", and killed him. Fleming then dropped the wallet in his haste to get away.
A year later, at James Fleming's trial, Randy Fleming recanted his original statements, claiming that the police had forced him to lie. The jury convicted James Fleming on conspiracy to rob Prince, acquitted him on the charge of first-degree murder, and failed to return a verdict on charges of felony murder and attempted robbery. A second jury acquitted James Fleming on the latter two charges in March 1993, and Fleming was sentenced to a nine-year prison sentence.
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
student whose murder in New Haven highlighted racial and class tensions between town and gown
Town and gown
Town and gown are two distinct communities of a university town; "town" being the non-academic population and "gown" metonymically being the university community, especially in ancient seats of learning such as Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and St Andrews, although the term is also used to describe...
.
Prince, the son of Edward and Sally Prince of Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, a number of villages in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names...
, was a fourth-generation Yale alumnus, a member of the class of 1993 in his sophomore year, in Pierson College
Pierson College
Pierson College is a residential college founded in 1933 at Yale University. The College takes its name from Abraham Pierson , one of the founders of the Collegiate School, which later became Yale University. A statue of Abraham Pierson stands on Yale's Old Campus...
.
Having dined at Mory's
Mory's
Mory’s, known also as Mory’s Temple Bar, is a private club adjacent to the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States, founded in 1849 and housed in a clubhouse that was originally a private home built some time before 1817...
and attended a party at Sterling-Sheffield-Strathcona Hall, he left his friends behind and was going to his off-campus apartment on Whitney Avenue to rest up for lacrosse practice the next day.
He was killed on the steps of St. Mary's Church, New Haven
St. Mary's Church, New Haven
The Church of St. Mary, New Haven, Connecticut, United States, is the parish church of the second oldest Roman Catholic parish in Connecticut. The parish was established in 1832. The Knights of Columbus was founded here in 1882 by Father Michael J. McGivney, who was then the church's assistant pastor...
on Hillhouse Avenue
Hillhouse Avenue
Hillhouse Avenue, described, according to tradition, by both Charles Dickens and Mark Twain as "the most beautiful street in America," , is in New Haven, Connecticut and is home to many nineteenth century mansions including the president's house at Yale University...
, the first Yale student killed on campus since the murder of Gary Stein during a robbery near Grove Street Cemetery in 1974.
His death stunned the campus, and more than 1,000 mourners attended his funeral 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....
, where Prince's brother Ted, also a Yale graduate, gave the eulogy. There was a short term significant decline in applications to Yale which was directly attributed to the murder.
After his killing Yale reevaluated and improved its campus security. Emergency phones and improved lighting were installed; the university police department's size was expanded and a new security force was founded.
Arrest and trial
In May 1991, James Duncan Fleming was arrested for Prince's murder on a tip from one of his friends, Randy Fleming (no relation).Randy Fleming later said that he and James wanted money to attend a rap performance and James suggested they "stick up a cracker
Cracker (pejorative)
Cracker, sometimes white cracker, is a pejorative term for white people. It is an ethnic slur that is especially used for the white inhabitants of the U.S. states of Georgia and Florida , but it is also used throughout the United States.-Etymology:One theory holds that the term comes from the...
." James Fleming spotted Prince walking home and demanded his money at gunpoint. Prince had handed over his wallet, whereupon James Fleming pistol-whipped him, said "I ought to shoot this cracker", and killed him. Fleming then dropped the wallet in his haste to get away.
A year later, at James Fleming's trial, Randy Fleming recanted his original statements, claiming that the police had forced him to lie. The jury convicted James Fleming on conspiracy to rob Prince, acquitted him on the charge of first-degree murder, and failed to return a verdict on charges of felony murder and attempted robbery. A second jury acquitted James Fleming on the latter two charges in March 1993, and Fleming was sentenced to a nine-year prison sentence.