| Poster for Billy Jack Gaither and Scotty Joe Weaver |
| Title | Poster for Billy Jack Gaither and Scotty Joe Weaver |
| Date | circa 2004 |
| Description | A homemade poster remembers Billy Jack Gaither, murdered in 1999, and Scotty Joe Weaver, an 18-year-old man from Bay Minette, Alabama, who was murdered in 2004. Weaver, who was gay, was robbed, beaten, strangled, and stabbed. His burned body was found on July 22, 2004, by the side of a rural road. Investigators approached his killing as a possible hate crime. Three people were charged with capital murder – two of them were Weaver’s friends, living with him in his trailer, while he paid the rent. They robbed him of a sum between $65-$80. All three pled guilty to avoid the death penalty and were imprisoned in 2007 with sentences ranging from 20 years to life without parole. |
| Donor | Gift of Kathy Jo Gaither and Vickie Saltzman |
| Collection | Billy Jack Gaither Collection |
| Repository | The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections |
| Related Items | “48 Hours” Press Release: “The Hate Crime That Is Out in the Open” ; Victims of Hate Vigil Flyer ; Day of Silence |