Hate Crime Vigil
Held in memory of the murder of Billy Jack Gaither in Sylacauga in 1999
The annual vigil for hate crime victims was held this rainy Sunday on the Capitol steps.
Next year will be the 20th year for the vigil, which began as a way to draw attention to the murder of a gay man, Billy Jack Gaither, in Sylacauga.
The two men convicted of the murder—Steven Mullins and Charles Butler were sentenced to life in prison without parole instead of execution because the victim’s family opposes the death penalty.
They are still in jail…Butler at the Donaldson Correctional Facility, Mullins at Holman Prison. The actual sentence for each was 999 years, 99 months and 99 days.
