This afternoon, the family of Javion Magee held a press conference at the Vance County Courthouse in North Carolina to demand justice and a transparent investigation after the 21-year-old Chicagoland truck driver was found dead on Sept. 11 in Henderson, NC.
Magee’s family wants answers to lingering questions about what happened to Magee between his Sept. 10 arrival and his death the next morning.
This was the first time Magee’s family has spoken publicly since his death. Deputies discovered him on the morning of Sept. 11, his body lying in a seated position with a rope wrapped around his neck.
The press conference revealed new details. Magee tried to book a hotel room at the Hampton Inn on Sept. 10 but couldn’t stay there because there weren’t any open rooms. He later traveled to an area in Henderson where truck drivers gather.
Magee’s family was joined by civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels, Lee Merritt and criminal justice attorney Jason Keith. During his remarks, Merritt drew comparisons from other instances of racial violence.
“We’re investigating the lynching of a young man in 2024. It would be an omission only to say that that kind of thing doesn’t happen anymore. We saw public lynching in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery,” Merritt said.
During a two-hour meeting with Vance County Lt. Aaron Bishop today, the family viewed photos to confirm Magee’s identity.
“We’ve seen public lynchings or the racialized killings of individuals, and it’s something that needs to continue to be investigated and taken seriously. Unfortunately, in this country, we haven’t dealt with our ghosts of racism and lynching, and so we often want to sweep it under the rug. The family has brought in these attorneys to ensure that that does not happen,” Merritt continued.
While Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame previously told TV news that Magee’s death was not a lynching, both Merritt and Daniels said the investigation is ongoing and that any further conclusions about hate crimes or lynchings have not yet been determined.
In response to a question about why Merritt and Daniels are referring to the incident as a lynching and hate crime, Merrit said, “I don’t know that lynching or a hate crime is the case. The reason I was hired was to investigate a lynching, to investigate the possibility of a hate crime, and to direct the family to wherever the evidence goes.”
Today’s press conference follows the public release of surveillance video from a local Walmart in Henderson, NC, where Magee was seen purchasing a blue rope before his death.
Magee’s mother, Tiara Roberson Gates, and his father, Kori Magee, expressed both grief and concern about the circumstances of their son’s death.
“If he wasn’t here [in Henderson], he would still be alive,” Magee’s father said. He also spoke about his son’s competitive nature and conversations they’d had when he decided to become a truck driver. Magee worked for KLLM Transport Services and traveled to Henderson to drop off a load at the local Walmart.
“I just ask that you guys keep us in prayer,” Roberson Gates said. The family didn’t take questions from reporters after they delivered remarks.
What they’ve learned so far from investigators still doesn’t support the notion that Magee died by suicide, Daniels said. Brame also initially told Magee’s family that he died by suicide.
“We’re not here to throw darts at anybody, but we are going to throw dots at a lack of transparency and a quick statement to say this was a suicide,” Daniels said.
It’s unclear where Magee was heading next after Henderson, but he planned to visit cousins in Houston, Texas, during his time away from home. He was excited to visit and spend time with them, according to Daniels.
The Hampton Inn, according to Daniels, is about a mile away from the Walmart Supercenter, where Magee dropped a load and purchased a rope. They also revealed that additional surveillance video hasn’t been publicly shared.
A timeline of events is also expected to be released today by the Sheriff’s Office, according to Daniels.
The family has not yet performed an independent autopsy because it was in possession of the medical examiner’s office, but the family is in the process of recovering it and will move forward with an independent autopsy when the time comes, Merritt said. A cause and manner of death has not yet been determined.
