(The JJnrtlanb (Observer
Page A2
August 06. 2003
P olice
Commission to Review Hanging Death
Suspicions
linger that
victim’s hands
were tied
behind his back
(AP)— The U.S. Commission on
Civil Righ ts will review the deathof
a black man found hanging from a
tree because o f lingering suspicions
that his hands were tied behind his
back, an official said.
Bobby Doctor, director o f the
com m ission’s southern regional
office, said he will interview family
members and police investigators.
The commission then would de
cide whether to dispatch an inves
tigative team.
"W hen you get this kind o f alle
gation, that the young m an’s hands
were tied behind his back, you have
to take it seriously,” Doctor said.
Feraris "R ay” Golden, 32, was
fo u n d h an g in g o u tsid e his
grandmother’s house on May 28 in
BelleGlade, Fla. Some relatives ini
tially said it was impossible he’d
committed suicide, claiming Golden
was found with his hands tied be
hind his back.
Sevell Brown, the Florida presi
d en t o f the
Southern Chris
tian Leadership
C o n fere n ce,
called for the
c iv il
rig h ts
c o m m is s io n ’s
intervention fol
lowing a judge’s
ruling Tuesday
that Golden committed suicide and
could not have been lynched.
The decision, along with eight
hours o f testimony and boxes o f
evidence in a rare public inquest,
failed to quell suspicions among
blacks in this rural, largely segre
gated town o f 15,000, where about
half o f the residents are black and
many are poor.
Brown told a newspaper that the
organization, which the Rev. Mar
tin Luther King Jr. helped start,
found “serious inconsistencies”
during testimony.
“ H istorically, (w ith) hangings
o f black m ales, inquests have al
ways found suicide,” Brown told
Although some family members
say they now see suicide as "pos
sible,” other relatives, friends and
community leaders say they still
have questions about w hether
G olden’s hands were tied before
his death, whether he was uncon
scious, and whether police officers
tainted the scene
when they drove
onto the lawn and
ran across it to cut
G o ld e n ’s b o d y
from his noose.
"There’s noth-
ing to change my
________ mind, nothing to
lead me to believe
that he would do this to himself,”
said Jamila Smith, Golden's former
sister-in-law.
Critics w eren’t mollified by the
pictures o f G o ld en ’s body - clean
o f bruises and blood except for a
large purple strip around his neck.
O r the testim ony o f experts who
said Golden was likely depressed,
or the statem ent by a police of-
Critics weren't mollified by the
pictures o f Golden s body - clean o f
bruises and blood except fo r a large
purple strip around his neck.
The Palm Beach Post for its
W ednesday edition. He would
not elaborate on the inconsisten
cies.
Any findings by the commis
sion, which investigates allegations
o f discrimination in the justice sys
tem, could be used by the Justice
Department to launch a criminal
investigation.
ficer that G o ld en ’s grandm other
initially said Golden told her: “No
body loves me. I ’m going to kill
myself.”
The evidence show ed G olden,
32, to be a troubled, divorced,
unem ployed father o f four who
was behind in his child-support
paym ents. G olden was a habitual
drinker, and when he died he had
traces o f cocaine in his system
and a blood-alcohol level o f 0.334
percent.
N A A C P le a d e rs, w ho had
called for the inquest, likened the
proceedings to a charade, aim ed
only to prove police conclusions
that G olden took his own life
rather than exam ine the rum ors
that he w as lynched, possibly
because he was dating a w hite
p o licem an ’s daughter.
Father Charged in Son’s Death
W E 'LL PAY
YOUR D ED U C TA B LE
(A P) — A Beaverton man
has been arrested and charged
with beating his tw o-year-old
son to death.
1 ssac Bynum, 20, is being held
at the W ashington County Jail.
His son, R yshaw n, w as pro
nounced dead Friday at O r Issac Bynum
egon H ealth and Science U ni verebrain injury, bleeding in his
versity.
eye, a broken neck and at least
The boy had suffered a se- tw o broken ribs. He also had
LIFETIM E W A R R A N TY
6444 NE Martin Luther King Boulevard
Portland, Oregon 97211
Ogi Ognianov
Phone 503-445.4702
Cell
503.380.4425
‘
,
» I — - ..ir»
Bernice Golden, the m other o f Feraris "Ray" Golden, awaits the
outcom e o f an inquest into her son 's death alongside her
common-law husband Henry Drummer at the West County
Courthouse in Belle Glade, Fla. (AP photo)
w hip m arks on his legs, but
tocks, back and chest.
Police said the death was the
result o f severe child abuse.
Bynum says his son was hurt
in a fall.
A uthorities say Bynum had
custody o f his son. The bo y ’s
m other lives out o f state.
B ynum ’s two other children
have been taken into custody.
Evidence Gathered in Girlfriend’s Murder
Portland detectives are asking
forthe public’s help for information
in the murder, of a mother of four
children.
Michael McGavock, 32, is ac
cused o f killing his girlfriend,
Latonia McPherson, 28, in a knife
attack on July 26 in a home they
shared at 10255 S.E. Mitchell St.
Police say he confronted police
with a knife when they arrived at the
Michael
• McGavock
‘ i.
m 'join. ■
home to investigate the stabbing.
Officers said they needed to use a
tazor gun,|q;w M ^
•.iaakrtn
A total o f five children lived in
the home and have been taken into
protective custody.
Anyone with information in this
investigation is asked to call Detec
tive Steve Ober at 503-823-4033 or
Detective Chuck Shipley at 503-
823-0400.
Cops Show To Follow Portland Police
(AP) — The police reality show COPS is
returning to Portland.
Three film crews from Langley Productions,
based in Santa Monica, Calif., will spend eight
weeks riding along with patrol and senior neigh
borhood officers in the bureau’s five precincts,
and with the Gang Enforcement Team, Auto
Theft Task Force and TriMet officers.
The show last came to Portland in 1989.
The crews are expected to film hours of
arrests, drug raids, prostitution missions and
other police work before whittling the best
footage down to two or three six-minute, 40-
second segments for its 2003-04 season.
They could air on FO X ’s Saturday night half-
hour shows as early as September.
“W e’re looking for interesting situations, all
kinds o f poignant moments, tragic moments,
action moments,” Langley said. "You see hu
man behavior in extreme, sometimes good and
sometimes bad, and you see law enforcement
officers doing their jobs.”
“COPS” has profiled law enforcement agen
cies in more than 140 cities in the United States
and has filmed in Hong Kong, Central and South
America and Russia. Its independent producer
said Thursday he is considering taking his film
crews to Baghdad.
Another Guilty Plea in Street Family Murder
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A
An 18-year-old man became the latest mem
ber o fa Portland "street family” to plead guilty
in the death o f Jessica Williams, telling a judge
he didn’t know the lighter fluid he was ordered
to purchase would be used to bum the body.
Joshua Brown-Lenon, pleaded guilty to kid
nap, assault and robbery, making him the sixth
person to admit to participating in the beating
o f Williams, before others led her away to her
death May 22.
Brown-Lenon will serve a two-year sentence,
said Charles French, a senior deputy district
attorney.
His testimony wi11 allow prosecutors to bui Id
cases against those allegedly most responsible
for the killing, including several facing aggra
vated murder charges. In total, 13 have been
indicted.
Brown-Lenon said
he was sent to buy
lighter fluid after the
beating. But he said he
was told it was to bum
bloody clothing from
the beating, not know
ing it would be used to
bum Williams.
A u th o r itie s say
th e s tr e e t fa m ily
turned on W illiam s
Joshua Brown-Lenon w hen she v io la te d
one o f the fam ily’s codes o f conduct. Sus
pects in the case told police W illiam s was
punished becau se they th o u g h t she had
spread a lie that one o f the fam ily members
offered her money for sex.
<
Bank Robbery Suspect Shoots Self
A serial bank robbery suspect shot
him self in the head Tuesday when sur
ro u n d e d by p o lic e o f f ic e r s a t th e
M cD onalds parking lot on Northeast M ar
tin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and C olum
bia Boulevard, police said.
The suspect's car was surrounded by
police cars, triggering what appeared to be
an arm ed standoff.
T here were reports o f gunfire and a
»
short time later police advanced on the car
and discovered the m an's body inside.
The incident during the evening rush
hour led to the closure o f both m ajor streets
for more than an hour and clogged side
streets.
The FBI confirm ed the man was a serial
bank robbery suspect.
N oothcr details were immediately avail
able.
r