A black musician who was savagely attacked by Patriot Front fans has said he thought they were going to kill him.
Charles M. Murrell III has testified that he was walking in the Back Bay area of Boston on July 2, 2022 when members of the white supremacist group surrounded him and beat him in a violent and racially motivated attack.
A hearing is currently underway in U.S. District Court in Boston to determine how much money the Patriot Front owes Murrell for the attack that violated his civil rights.
In a harrowing description of the incident, Mr Murrell told the hearing: “I thought I was going to die.”
The 37-year-old said he fainted during the attack and was shocked when he later saw images in the press showing the white supremacists pressing a shield to his head and pushing him against a light pole.
Charles M. Murrell III has testified that he was walking in the Back Bay area of Boston on July 2, 2022 when members of the white supremacist group surrounded him and beat him in a violent and racially motivated attack.
The 37-year-old said he fainted during the attack and was shocked when he later saw images in the press showing the white supremacists pressing a shield to his head and pushing him against a light pole.
The protesters were all white and dressed identically, wearing white gaiters that covered most of their faces. They walked with a banner that said, “Reclaim America.” July 2, 2022
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani found Patriot Front and Rousseau, of Grapevine, Texas, liable for the attack after they failed to respond to a civil rights lawsuit filed by Murrell in August 2023.
Lawyers representing Mr. Murrell are seeking an unspecified amount in damages and legal fees. the boston globe has reported.
Murrell, a classically trained educator and musician, was on his way to play the saxophone in front of the Boston Public Library when he encountered a large group of people marching and waving flags.
The protesters were all white and dressed identically, wearing white gaiters that covered most of their faces. They walked with a banner that said, “Reclaim America.”
Murrell told the court he was trying to film the group with his cellphone but couldn’t unlock it because he was so nervous. He said the group surrounded him and started singing “tar baby” and other things he didn’t understand.
The group then repeatedly punched him and would not let Murrell walk away. He said he was terrified he might be thrown into oncoming traffic on the busy road nearby.
Boston police surveillance footage, which was played in court, showed Murrell walking down the sidewalk carrying his saxophone before the group pushed him against the light pole.
A witness testified that she rushed to Murrell’s aid after seeing the attack unfold.
Katrina Jabro told the hearing that she had a considerable amount of blood on her hands.
Patriot Front is a white supremacist group founded by Thomas Ryan Rousseau of Dallas. No one has been charged with the assault on Mr. Murrell.
He was taken to Tufts Medical Center in Boston, where he was treated for cuts to his head, hand and face.
Murrell said his hands sometimes lock up, preventing him from playing the saxophone, and that panic attacks and paranoia have kept him from busking.
This has led to a drop in his income from $1,200 per week to just $100.
Tina Adams, a licensed clinical psychologist who evaluated Murrell, testified that since the attack he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder and anxiety.
He described the attack as the most traumatic event in Mr Murrell’s life.
In another video from police body cameras, Murrell can be seen crying as police interview him and ask why no arrests had been made.
No one has been charged with the assault. As the members left town in a U-Haul truck, they were stopped by State Police, who issued a criminal citation for driving with an allegedly unregistered Arizona license plate.
Members of the Patriot Front, which emerged from the fascist organization Vanguard America after the deadly ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, have not responded to repeated notices about the pending civil lawsuit.
The group is photographed in front of the Boston Public Library carrying flags, near where Murrell was attacked.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani found Patriot Front and Rousseau, of Grapevine, Texas, liable for the attack after they failed to respond to a civil rights lawsuit filed by Murrell in August 2023.
Mr. Murrell’s attorneys attempted to notify the group about the case. Attorney James Gross said in court Wednesday that “none of the defendants have chosen to participate.”
As a result, the lawyer said all of Mr. Murrell’s allegations are considered true.
Judge Talwani expected to make a final ruling after hearing testimony from Mr. Murrell and the other witnesses during the two-day hearing.