JACKSON, Miss. — Federal prosecutors want to delay the sentencing of three white men who pleaded guilty to hate crime charges stemming from a months-long pattern of harassing blacks that culminated in the fatal rundown of James Craig Anderson.
Dylan Butler, Deryl Dedmon, and John Aaron Rice pleaded guilty March 22 in U.S. District Court in Jackson. They're scheduled for sentencing June 8, but prosecutors filed a motion last week to have that delayed.
The motion was filed under seal, meaning it's not open to public review. The judge didn't immediately rule.
The reason for seeking the delay is not clear. Authorities have said the investigation continues and there could be more arrests in the case.
Anderson was run over with a pickup truck on June 26.