Guybrush122 Posted March 2, 2002 Share Posted March 2, 2002 by Joe Harris (ziplock@disinfo.net) - October 18, 2000 The same social dynamics that ended with the Columbine massacre in Littleton, Colorado ended differently in Amarillo, Texas. On the night of December 12th, 1997, Amarillo punk Brian Deneke was cut down in a parking lot by Dustin Camp, a 17-year-old junior varsity football player driving his 1983 Cadillac. The events leading up to this final altercation were straight out of the film The Outsiders (1983). Two groups of kids, the Punks and the Whitehats, a rivalry because each looked different than the other. The rivalry went from harsh words, to blows. When the punks found themselves outnumbered 3 to 1 by the Whitehats in an International House of Pancakes parking lot, on that cold December night, Brian Deneke was cut down by the intoxicated Camp. No one's story is the same. In the back seat of Camp's car was a girl who would later graduate as valedictorian of their class. She was the only person to testify that could possibly be considered a "Reliable Witness". She said that Camp drove into the midst of the melee, and after hitting and knocking over one of Brian's friends, then said "I'm a ninja in my caddy" and succeeded in running Brian over. There were no skid marks, no signs that Camp tried to avoid hitting the youth head on. As he pulled out of the parking lot Camp said, "I'll bet he liked that." "I remember after he was hit, there was a cheer," Brian's girlfriend later told a reporter, "We ran to him as soon as he went down. He was trying to talk, but there was too much blood coming out of his mouth. Jason (his brother) put his arms around him and held him while he died." The girl and her friend who she was in the car with went to the police station that night. Camp was arrested on murder charges the next day. An emotional trial ensued that saw, on the prosecuting side, Brian's friends, his employer Stanley Marsh III of the Cadillac Ranch, his brother Jason who held him in his arms as he dies in that gutter. On the prosecuting side: Brian's old Boy Scout troop leader who had kicked him out of the troop when he was 13 for bringing a skateboard to a meeting, officers who displayed the clothes Brian was wearing as if it was supposed to be an excuse for slaughtering the wearer, Camp's football coach, his pastor, and his teachers, who all told the court about what a "good kid" Camp was. The end result was a conviction on charges of manslaughter with a sentence of ten years probation and a suspended $10 000 fine. On June 7th, 2000 an Amarillo jury found in favor of the Denekes in a wrongful death suit against the Camps, and awarded the Denekes $20 000. This horrible event happened around five years ago...I heard about it a year ago and I realized it would be cool to see your reaction to it. There is only one thing to say: People fear what they don't understand...they fear themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murta Posted March 2, 2002 Share Posted March 2, 2002 I think most people in the US already know about this. I first read the story about 2 or 3 years ago. 'Twas a terrible thing to happen, but innocent people die all the time, this was just singled out because he was a punk and the guy who killed him was a jock, it's no different to a white guy killing a black guy or a catholic killing a protestant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guybrush122 Posted March 3, 2002 Author Share Posted March 3, 2002 Originally posted by murta I think most people in the US already know about this. I first read the story about 2 or 3 years ago. 'Twas a terrible thing to happen, but innocent people die all the time, this was just singled out because he was a punk and the guy who killed him was a jock, it's no different to a white guy killing a black guy or a catholic killing a protestant very true...BUT the thing that shocked me: it took 3 years to settle the case....THREE YEARS....it should have been decided in a second: murder = bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufio Posted March 3, 2002 Share Posted March 3, 2002 three years for a settlement in a case is not a long time at all. there have been cases over false imprisonment that have taken over 20+ years to conclude... its nothing particularly shocking when you think about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtBlanc Posted March 3, 2002 Share Posted March 3, 2002 What I'm wondering is when the criminal case ended, and when the civil one was started. The article doesn't say...but nevertheless, this case seemed like it moved fairly fast. Another thing: martyr? That seems to be a little far fetched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fender Posted March 3, 2002 Share Posted March 3, 2002 Depends on your viewpoint... He may be a martyr to some people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guybrush122 Posted March 3, 2002 Author Share Posted March 3, 2002 Originally posted by Fender Depends on your viewpoint... He may be a martyr to some people. exactly...though, i didnt write it.....joeseph who-who-whats did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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