Murder of Ken Tillery

Ken Tillery, a resident of Jasper, Texas, was killed on January 19, 2002. Tillery was outside a suspected crackhouse on the night of his death when he was approached by three men, Darrell Gilbert, Blake Little, and Anthony Holmes, who offered him a ride in their vehicle, described as an early 1980s model Oldsmobile Cutlass.

Tillery accepted the ride, but an argument developed over gas money. Tillery reportedly expected to pay only $5, while the men demanded $50. When the car passed Tillery's home and arrived at a gas station, Tillery jumped out of the vehicle and attempted to flee. He was caught and beaten by the three men, who then ran him over with the vehicle.

The FBI investigated the killing and ruled out federal hate crime charges. Jasper County Sheriff Billy Rowles said the killing concerned drugs and money.

In the legal aftermath, Anthony Holmes pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and received a 15-year sentence. Blake Little was convicted of murder and sentenced to 70 years' incarceration. As of the source's account, both were still serving their sentences. Darrell Gilbert was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the killing.

Gilbert did not serve out his sentence in the community; the source reports that on February 14, 2005, Gilbert was killed inside the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Stiles Unit by a fellow inmate, Reagan Caldwell.

This case occurred in Jasper, Texas, a location noted in national coverage for a separate, earlier high-profile hate-crime killing, and the FBI's investigation into a potential hate-crime angle in Tillery's death reflects that context, though investigators ultimately did not pursue federal hate-crime charges in this matter.