Jailhouse interview with convicted murderer Donald Middlebrooks

Kerrick Majors was a 14-year-old African American boy from Nashville, Tennessee, whose brutal, racially motivated murder in April 1987 became a symbol of both racial violence and justice in the American South. Described as a kind, respectful middle school student, Kerrick was abducted after a minor dispute over a broken vase with three white drifters—Donald and Tammy Middlebrooks and Robert Brewington—who falsely accused him of theft. They forced him into a wooded area where he was tortured over several hours—burned, beaten with brass knuckles, urinated on, slashed with knives, and stabbed to death while racial slurs were used against him.

His body, left naked under a discarded mattress in a creek bed, bore signs of extreme cruelty, including a carved "X" on his chest. Police initially dismissed him as a runaway and delayed the investigation, which led to public outrage, disciplinary action against officers, and a $2 million lawsuit by Kerrick’s family. The case resulted in historic convictions: Brewington received life plus 75 years, Tammy Middlebrooks received life with parole eligibility, and Donald Middlebrooks was sentenced to death—the first time in modern Tennessee history that a white person was condemned to death for murdering a Black child. The case remains significant for highlighting systemic racism, law enforcement negligence, and the rare pursuit of justice in a racially charged crime.

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