Race Torture in West Virginia
by
Ashahed M. Muhammad
"This is a hate crime of the worst magnitude."
This article originally appeared in The Final Call.
The physical scars, though healing, are still visible, but
the psychological and emotional scars also remain for the victim of a race
torture in the mountains of West Virginia.
When the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan read of the
reported torture of this young Black woman, he sent a delegation to West Virginia
to get a first hand account of Megan Williams' ordeal. Minister Farrakhan sent
Student in the Ministry Class Abdul Khadir Muhammad of the Mid-Atlantic Region,
along with Attorney Abdul Arif Muhammad, Editor-In-Chief of The Final Call
Newspaper, to minister unto the family on behalf of himself and the Nation of
Islam.
Police say 20-year-old Megan Williams of Charleston, West
Virginia was held captive in a chamber of horrors while six Caucasian
perpetrators physically assaulted, raped and tortured her for five days.
"We received a tip that a subject was being held against
their will at Big Creek," said Logan County Deputy Jeffrey Robinette.
"Typically this involves a welfare check to see if someone is in need or
injured."
[Click here
for The Final Call's exclusive interview with torture victim Megan Williams]
Deputy Robinette testified during a preliminary hearing on
Thursday, Oct. 4, against defendant Karen Burton, that when he arrived at the
residence to investigate the "tip," he saw Frankie Brewster, another defendant,
and the owner of the house on the porch. When he questioned her, she stated
that she was the only person in the house. It was at that time, Deputy
Robinette stated during testimony that victim Megan Williams burst out of the
doors with "her arms outstretched sayings ‘help me.'"
A bruised and battered Megan Williams appeared with swollen
and blood-bruised eyes, lacerations around her neck and ankles, splotches in
her head where her hair had been ripped out and multiple stab wounds on her
left leg.
"They poured scalding hot water all over me and they
poured candle wax on me and they told me if I screamed, they would kill me."
"Bobby kicked me in my stomach a few times, kicked me in my
back and my face and all I remember is that they hit me with several objects, a
cedar stick, a fly swatter handle, a belt, a shoe; and you know the gloves with
the lead in them? They were smacking me in the face with those. Both my eyes
were black and every night, they made me sleep outside," Megan told The
Final Call. "They made me take a bath in a trash can outside. They poured
scalding hot water all over me and they poured candle wax on me and they told
me if I screamed, they would kill me," she added
Deputy Robinette's testimony under oath was consistent with
Megan's statement that had been given to police investigators about her five
days of horror. At the preliminary hearing Deputy Robinette read the chilling
account of the confessions of two of the male defendants detailing the heinous,
barbaric and brutal hate crime carried out against victim Megan Williams.
Deputy Robinette said that in a search of the residence, a
wooden handle stick with "brownish and reddish stains on the stick" was found,
which corroborates anal sodomy. He also said they found a knife with "red
stains and spots on it." In addition investigators found fly swatters, rolls of
duct tape, phone cords, all instruments of brutality used against Megan
Williams during her captivity. Deputy Robinette testified that the house was in
a state of "disarray" with garbage strewn about the premises. This was some of
the physical evidence obtained at the scene supporting the claim of the many
heinous acts of torture and violence Megan Williams had to endure, and was all
consistent with Megan's recollection of events and the signed written
confessions of two other defendants.
According to the signed confession by one of the defendants,
Bobby Brewster, Megan was forced to "eat human sh-t out of the toilet and rat
turds," and to "lick mom's a-- crack." According to the confession read in
court, Megan vomited and then was forced to lick her own vomit off of the
floor. The entire time, she was beaten and called names such as "slut, whore,
b---h and n----r." Brewster's statement also corroborated the stories of Megan
being forced to perform oral sex on Frankie Brewster, as well as Megan being
"choked until purple in the face."
"Megan was forced to ‘eat human sh-t out of the toilet and
rat turds,' and to ‘lick mom's a-crack.'"
Megan's adopted mother, Carmen Williams, sobbed as the
graphically detailed account of Megan's torture were read for the court. At a
certain point, she could no longer endure the testimony and left the courtroom
in tears. Others were visibly shaken and uncomfortable hearing the lurid
details of the events emerging from the case.
Logan County Magistrate Jeffrey Lane found sufficient
probable cause to send the case against the sixth defendant, Karen Burton, to a
Grand Jury for indictment in the alleged rape, torture and assault of Megan
Williams. The charges against Burton and the remaining five defendants are to
be presented to the Grand Jury in January 2008, according to Logan County
Prosecutor Brian Abraham.
The defendants charged with involvement in these inhuman
hate crimes are:
Frankie Brewster, the 49-year-old woman who owns the home
where the charged assaults occurred. She is charged with sexual assault,
kidnapping, malicious wounding and giving false statements to an officer. Bobby
R. Brewster, Frankie Brewster's 24-year-old son, is charged with kidnapping,
sexual assault, malicious wounding and assault during the commission of a
felony. Alisha Burton, 23, is charged with kidnapping, assault during the commission
of a felony and battery. Karen Burton, 46, is charged with kidnapping,
malicious wounding, battery and assault during the commission of a felony.
Danny J. Combs, 20, is charged with kidnapping, sexual assault and malicious
wounding. George A. Messer, 27, is charged with kidnapping, assault during the
commission of a felony and battery.
During Deputy Robinette's cross examination by defendant
Karen Burton's defense attorney Betty Gregory, Atty. Gregory seemed very
uncomfortable and uncertain of exactly what to ask Deputy Robinette. It
appeared that the shocking details of the torture had her as bewildered as the
others listening to the testimony in the courtroom. She constantly rambled,
asking unrelated questions, and repeatedly shuffled through papers even saying
at one time, "I'm getting confused myself." In a remarkable courtroom moment,
the lawyer leaned over to her client ordering her to "shut-up."
"Megan Williams' family members reiterated their desire
for this case to be brought before the U.S. Department of Justice as a federal
hate crime.
At a news conference held on the steps of the Logan County
courthouse immediately following the final pretrial hearing, Megan Williams'
family members and supporters gathered to show support for the family and
reiterated their desire for this case to be brought before the U.S. Department
of Justice as a federal hate crime.
"It is obvious that this is one of the most sick,
horrendous, sadistic and evil hate crimes that has ever occurred in American
history," said Attorney Malik Zulu Shabazz, representing Black Lawyers for
Justice (BLJ) as legal advisor to the Williams family. Atty. Shabazz is also
Chairman of the New Black Panther Party. "It's one thing to read about these
charges, and when you read it, you almost say in your mind that this can't be
true. It's just too horrific, too outrageous to be true. After this preliminary
hearing with just one of the defendants, Karen Burton, and hearing the
evidence, hearing the statements and confessions and the graphic details of the
stabbings, the beatings and forced sexual activity and the word nigger being
used repeatedly throughout these crimes leaves one with the inescapable
conclusion that this is a hate crime of the worst magnitude."
Atty. Shabazz, announced that his group, Black Lawyers for
Justice, will be working with other civil rights groups and religious leaders
for a march against hate crimes on November 3, 2007 in Charleston, West
Virginia. "We also will be traveling to Washington, D.C. to meet with members
of Congress. There are hate crimes occurring against Blacks across the country.
This case must be brought before the U.S. Justice Department." Atty. Shabazz
also mentioned the family will be traveling with him to Washington, D.C. to
meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Bishop James Carter of the Rehoboth Cathedral of Christ, in
Charleston, West Virginia, is the spiritual advisor for the Williams family. He
described the perpetrators of the alleged crimes in this case as "dangerous," and
said that he, along with many others, are thankful that Megan is still alive.
"I'd like to just thank God that Megan was found
in time," said Bishop Carter. "Though her fleshly wounds are healing, it is
going to take some time for her emotional wounds to heal. I don't think that
closure will come until justice is done."
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