Billy Jack Gaither

Billy Jack Gaither died like no one should ever have to die–in pain, in terror, and alone. Two unhappy, hate-filled young men took out their homophobia, and that of their community, state, and region upon a gentle, loyal, pious Alabamian.
Billy Jack Gaither, 39 a Sylacauga resident and Russell Corp. employee, was was bludgeoned to death with an axe handle in Coosa County, Alabama and his body burned the night of Feb. 19, 1999. Gaither's body was discovered by a passerby Feb. 20.
Billy Jack Gaither died like no one should ever have to die–in pain, in terror, and alone. Two unhappy, hate-filled young men took out their homophobia, and that of their community, state, and region upon a gentle, loyal, pious Alabamian.
Coosa County authorities arrested two Talladega County men, Steven Eric Mullins, 25, who is unemployed, and Charles Monroe Butler Jr., 21, a construction worker, both residents of nearby Fayetteville, who confessed they killed Gaither after claiming he made unwanted sexual advances at Mullins.Mullins was known around town for wearing KKK T shirts; he and Butler had brushes with the law in the past.
They planned to attack Billy Jack for at least two weeks before arranging to meet. It was Friday night, Feb. 19, when Mullins called Gaither at home and the two went to a place called The Frame, a bar and pool hall in Sylacauga, where they met Butler. They went to the Tavern, a bar in Sylacauga, then they left in Gaither's car for a ride. Sometime after leaving the bar, Mullins and Butler beat Billy Jack and stuffed him into the trunk of his own car.
They drove a small country road 30 miles south, to Peckerwood Creek. The pavement ends and a gravel road leads to a bridge over Peckerwood Creek. Just at the end of the bridge a trail leads back by the side of the creek to the site of the old bridge. Down the trail about a half a mile they stopped. The access of the old bridge made a place for cars to turn around. But on the night of February it became a place of death for Billy Jack. There he was drug from the trunk of his own car and bludgeoned once more to death with ax handles. His body was drenched with Kerosene and thrown on a pyre of blazing tires - tires that had been ignited with the same Kerosene that now covered his body.