I have received numerous inquiries and many comments regarding Frederick Jermaine Carter’s death. And just as you, I wanted answers… I wanted the truth. And yes, in posting the initial picture and using words such as “lynching”, “racial crime”, and “hate”; I wanted to stir emotions and urge immediate closure to this case. I truly intended no disrespect towards Frederick Carter’s family as the picture that was available online had stated “an unidentified black male was found hanging in a tree”. However from a family member’s comment here, I decided to remove the picture from my blog. I intended on waiting for the autopsy report to become available so as not to further any unrest or cause the family any additional pain.
As reported by the Associated Press, December 07, 2010 – 10:28 am:
JACKSON, Miss. — Preliminary autopsy results indicate a black man found hanging from a tree in Mississippi killed himself, and authorities said Tuesday there’s no validity to an NAACP leader’s allegation that someone else was involved.
According to Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks, Frederick Carter’s family reported him as having a history of mental illness and had spent eight months in the state mental hospital in 2008, and had attempted suicide in the past, by drug overdose and cutting himself.
Both Banks and Leflore County Coroner, Debra Sanders, said Tuesday that the autopsy’s preliminary finding of suicide is consistent with what they saw at the scene.
According to Banks: Evidence indicates that Carter dragged the frame of an old table from one side of the tree to the other, propped it against the tree trunk, then tied himself to the lowest limb. The frame probably broke, possibly because Carter kicked it out from under himself. In addition, there were no other footprints by the tree.
“There is no sign that we could find whatsoever that anyone else was involved,” Banks said. “I haven’t seen anything to change my mind, and I’m looking really hard.”
In response to these findings: State Representative, Willie Perkins, a Democrat from Greenwood and president of the Leflore County branch of the NAACP, says that the group “will keep a high scrutiny and watch on any investigative report regarding what was the cause of death.”
Again, the final resulting autopsy indicates Frederick Jermaine Carter committed suicide by hanging himself… My prayers go out to this young man and his family, the people of Greenwood, the Mississippi Delta, and the nation.
Many of us have been affected by this young man’s untimely death. Many of us have been further affected by the resulting autopsy findings.
Additional updates:
Mario Strong (Mississippi Dread) 
December 8th, 2010 at 8:41 am
The sad thing is some people will never be convinced it wasn’t a racial crime. I’m white. I can’t understand what drives that victimhood mentality. But, I sure wish we could find a way around it.
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December 8th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
no SippyDog. Guess you will never understand until you experience what drives it. That mentality exists! and it exists for a reason! Things don’t just become a certain way, out of the blue; there is always a force that drives it. But being white, no…don’t expect you to understand until the day you gain that knowledge through experience..and that, I shall never wish on you or anyone.
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December 8th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
To Sippydog: Really?!You don’t?! Really?!
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December 8th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
I correct the above post. They did give an explaination of how he used the picnic table. I had not been satisfied previously because the picture I was able to find did not show the picnic table but only one or two boards.
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December 8th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
As a white person in Mississippi, I do know what drives people to want answers. I myself am not satisfied. I saw the picture and want to know how he cleared the picnic table. Can the FBI explain or reinact how he did it. Anyone can put a gun on somebody where they tracks no show or erase theirs with a broom. If there had not been recent hangings or other types of lynching by mobs as late as 2000, I would not be a concerned citizen. It is so easy to brush everything off a suicide or drug related.
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December 8th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Everything is not racially motivated. Somethings just are. I am a black woman and I saw the picture. Why does everything have to be hate. Why are all of you more upset than the family is. The family is ok with the suicide results but you aren’t. Why make something out of nothing. It is what it is….a suicide. Sad for all.
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December 9th, 2010 at 2:01 am
Mario,
Thanks for the follow-up report, which is truly being monitored closely by many here. Poster Linda Tankersley’s assessment and the position of the NAACP taken in this case, lines up with my personal outlook of this whole horrible matter, as well. Again, we remain available if any proactive assistance is required.
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December 9th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
many people remain outraged and some of them, on facebook and their personal networks, have begun a campaign of calling gov. barbour’s office to demand an independent investigation.
thank you for being one of the first to even make this hanging known to people outside of mississippi through your blog. i’m still in a mode of observing and, i guess, “on the fence” about this. many things about this death are very strange but until actual facts are discovered to prove anything but what has been determined by investigators, what is there to do but …… wait, watch and see if anything changes.
also, for those who say the family is at peace with the coroner’s report, where did you get that information? has the family made an official statement about all of this?
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December 10th, 2010 at 9:07 am
This case is receiving broad coverage, give a listen to this Blog Talk radio report: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/antoinette-harrell/2010/12/08/body-discovered-hanging-in-a-tree-in-greenwood-mis
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December 14th, 2010 at 2:20 am
The December 21, 2010 issue of The Final Call covers the hanging.
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December 14th, 2010 at 5:18 am
For anyone still reading this blog and interested in updates to the Carter hanging: http://destee.com/forums/showpost.php?p=690551&postcount=12
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December 15th, 2010 at 9:21 am
I saw some more detailed pictures, close ups of the face with him hanging. I am disappointed that half his left eyebrow was shaved off. That means gang participation in our area. So perhaps he isn’t the sweet person his Dad is making him out to be. Maybe he doesn’t shave the outer part of his left eyebrow but it sure looked like it in the picture. If a person lives the gang life they find trouble and trouble finds them.
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December 15th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
Come the hell on Americans wake up and smell the Star Bucks Shops in New York City. Do anybody in there right mind would truly think this young man would truly hang his self yeah right. So what something was wrong with him mentally couldn’t have been that bad in the mind to be out there with his father painting. They talking about a picnic table how his anybody gonna stand on a picnic table to hang them self they need to get somebody down here to get the true statements and facts. Just like they found that white lady body parts in the fish pond a couple of years back and they still haven’t found the person who did that. Mississippi is really slow to when it come to solving crimes. Just like the movie Mississippi Burning these people dont want other states down in Mississippi causing a big mistake.
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December 17th, 2010 at 10:07 am
The list of young blacks found hanging in Mississippi, whose deaths have been hastily declared as suicides, seems to grow perpetually. In 2004, Roy Veal a black man who was fighting to keep whites from taking his family’s land in Wilkerson County was found hanging from a tree in Woodville, Mississippi. His death was ruled a suicide. In 2000, Raynard Johnson, a 17 year old black high school student, rumored to have been involved in an interracial dating relationship was found hanging from a tree in Kokomo, Mississippi. His death was ruled a suicide. Between 1987 and 1993, twenty two (22) black men were found hanging in Mississippi jails. All of their deaths were declared to be suicides. All of us are aware of the history of blacks being lynched in Mississippi. Between 1882 and 1968 there were 539 blacks lynched in Mississippi. Their murders were not solved because law enforcement officials made no effort to bring their murderers to justice. In many cases law enforcements were complicit in the murders. Finally, on September 18, 2010, a young Hispanic woman was found hanging from a tree near Philadelphia, Mississippi. Her death was declared a suicide. All of these death by hanging involving blacks and non-white should surely caused rational thinking black leaders to ask questions. Insisting on a thorough and comprehensive investigation is the least any rational thinking black person should do. The investigation of the recent hanging in Leflore County, Mississippi seems to be a rush to judgment, and the investigation seemed to be concerned with something other than uncovering the truth.
Solomon C. Osborne
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December 17th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
But if you were black & didn’t like whites – yeah you’re out there- & what if you didn’t like him either. Win win right?
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December 19th, 2010 at 3:26 am
Mary Frenzel…please explain, I’m having a hard time understanding the point you are making
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December 25th, 2010 at 8:31 am
Here is the latest update we have on the Carter hanging. Wendol Lee of operation HELP, Civil Rights Group of Memphis, is in the process of gathering information on the family’s position, in conjunction with Ms. Powe, who is based in Birmingham, Ala., and the spokesperson for the victim’s family. As soon as he does, we will post it:
http://destee.com/forums/showpost.php?p=690769&postcount=15
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January 2nd, 2011 at 8:31 pm
SIPPY HOOD YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND RACISM BECAUSE YOU PROBABLY HAVE NEVER BEEN AFFECTED BY IT. I AM WHITE AND I AM MARRIED TO A BLACK MALE AND I SEE WHAT MY HUSBAND AND DAUGHTER GO THROUGH DAILY. YES RACISM DO EXIST. I HEAR COMMENTS MADE MY WHITE PEOPLE WHO DOES NOT KNOW I AM MARRIED TO A BLACK MAN
DANA, YOU AR MISTAKEN THE FAMILY IS NOT OK WITH THE SUICIDE VERDICT.
LINDA TANKERSLEY, YES IS WAS A NICE MAN AND NO HE WAS NOT INVOLVED IN A GANG.
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January 7th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Here is the most recent update we have: http://destee.com/forums/showpost.php?p=693434&postcount=19
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February 12th, 2011 at 7:28 pm
W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Interviewed The Honorable Min.Abdullah Yasin Muhammad, The Son Of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, About The Frederick Jermaine Carter Hanging case.please check out the powerful video of that interview here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHpOt_BoDsI
To Listen to the entire interview please click on the following link:
W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: Suicide Or Strange Fruit? You Decide. A Bro. Frederick Jermaine Carter Update.Show:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2011/01/13/tha-artivist-presentswe-all-be-radio
Summary:
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2011/01/we-all-be-radio-special-weds-1122011.html
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May 21st, 2011 at 8:32 pm
now that suicide has been ruled out what has to be said now. Maybe the wind blew to hard and this young man ended upin a tree, with a rope around his neck. Dont want to walk into that wind.
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July 2nd, 2012 at 4:57 pm
After reading my heart is sadden so many comments and not enough knowledge. Jermaine was not in a gang and I can assure you this. The picnic table never existed. The sheriff mentions it but it wasn’t there when police arrived or when the family,y got there. If he hung himself where is the table. But know that the family continues to fight and any knowledge you have can be privately submitted to the following email address. All information will be kept confidentially.as we fight for an investigation your knowledge can help push it along ontimemrktn@aol.com
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