DALLAS — On April 24, Texas executed white supremacist John William “Bill” King. He was a murderer, but he also would have been a voter—if Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders had his way.
King was found guilty of the brutal 1998 murder of James Byrd Jr., a black man, by chaining him to the back of a truck and dragging him to death. With his conviction and incarceration, King forfeited several of his rights and freedoms—including the right to vote.
But then King deprived James Byrd of all of his rights and freedoms, most importantly, the right to life.