人兽性交

, who once headed the largest Ku Klux Klan group in the United States, often called the 鈥渂ully-boy Klan,鈥� died of lung cancer on May 31 at a hospital in Cook County, Ill., authorities confirmed today. He was 64 and most recently had been living in Kankakee, Ill.

Despite the headlines he once generated with Klan rallies and marches and theatrical appearances on the Jerry Springer TV show, Berry鈥檚 death a week ago hasn鈥檛 sparked a ripple of attention anywhere 鈥� even in KKK circles and Internet racist forums.

It took Hatewatch five days to confirm that a white sheet was pulled over Berry鈥檚 head for one final time 鈥� this time in a hospital bed where he died. He was cremated, and there was no public service, according to Heartland Memorial Center in Tinley Park, Ill., which handled his final arrangements.

Berry, known for his racist verbosity and theatrics, formed the in 1995 in Butler, Ind. By the end of the 1990s the racist group claimed 27 highly active chapters around the country. The group attracted thugs and criminals 鈥� and worldwide attention, thanks to two appearances on the 鈥淛erry Springer Show鈥� that involved shouting and fighting.

鈥淎fter that first show aired, applications for our Klan group came rolling in,鈥� Berry鈥檚 former chief assistant, Brad Thompson, told Hatewatch. As a condition for appearing on the show, Berry demanded that his KKK group鈥檚 phone number be aired. Producers did that but also aired the phone number of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

鈥淥ne day we sat down and I helped him count well over $60,000 that had come in the mail with application forms from all around the world,鈥� Thompson said. When Thompson suggested the Klan group donate the money to a civic cause or park equipment, he said Berry scoffed and rejected the idea, saying the Klan wouldn鈥檛 get any recognition for such philanthropy.

鈥淗e didn鈥檛 have a job and, for him, it was all about that money,鈥� Thompson said.

Thompson later defected from the American Knights, denounced its brand of racism and wrote a self-published book 鈥淯nder the Hood鈥� in 1996. As a result, he said, his life was threatened on several occasions and his car tires were flattened repeatedly.

Indiana State Police Detective Mark Heffelfinger spent years dealing with Berry and his son, Anthony 鈥淭ony鈥� Berry, when they lived in Butler, Ind.

鈥淎t one point in time,听Jeff was the grand wizard of the largest, most vocal and violent听KKK organization in the country,鈥� Heffelfinger told Hatewatch.

Berry initially developed his KKK following, the detective said, after a racist march in Hicksville, Ohio, just few a miles from where he lived.

鈥淢ost (police) dealings with him (involved) disputes with his neighbors,鈥�

Heffelfinger said. 鈥淭hen, as he began to have听rallies, the issue became controlling any听clashes between his group and the protesters.鈥�

There also were occasional theft or assault complaints from within Berry鈥檚 Klan group, and that would prompt Berry to call the Indiana state police detective who he regularly vilified, papering the community with anti-police flyers.

鈥淚t always amazed me that he would protest on the courthouse square about me,听leave flyers on the听windshields of cars complaining about me, but would still call me if he had an issue with someone else,鈥� the detective told Hatewatch.

As Berry鈥檚 KKK group grew, its members became increasing volatile and violent, ultimately leading to the kidnapping of George Sells and Heidi Thiel, who then worked as journalists for WHAS-TV in Louisville, Ky.

The journalists interviewed Thompson about his book in 1999, and then went to see Berry to get his reaction 鈥� only to be kidnapped and held at gunpoint. Berry and other members of his 鈥渂ully-boy鈥� Klan demanded the journalists鈥� videotape.

One Klansman in the room was carrying a shotgun and loudly racked a shell into the chamber. After consulting with their own bosses by telephone, the journalists surrendered the tape to win their release.

Police arrested Berry 鈥� a longtime police drug informant 鈥� but prosecutors initially declined to file charges, saying there was insufficient probable cause to charge him with kidnapping. That鈥檚 when 人兽性交 lawyers and scuttled Berry鈥檚 attempts to hide his financial assets, eventually getting the journalists a $120,000 civil judgment against Berry and his Klan organization.

After that civil case, local prosecutors decided they did have enough facts to charge Berry with kidnapping the journalists. In 2001, Berry pleaded guilty to several criminal charges related to the kidnapping and Two years into his sentence, at the age of 51, Berry renounced the Ku Klux Klan and declared that he 鈥渢urned his life over to God.鈥�

After leaving prison and distancing himself from Klan activities, Berry was severely beaten by his own son, who had attempted to revive the American Knights while his father was in prison.

The beating occurred at a family cookout where Berry and his son apparently were discussing the younger man鈥檚 plans to revive the Klan group, said Heffelfinger, who investigated the assault. Tony Berry was charged and convicted of assaulting his father.

鈥淟ater they made up, and, until recently, Jeff lived with Tony and his wife in Auburn [Ind.],鈥� the detective said. Jeff Berry recently moved to听Kankakee, Ill.

鈥淚 was never sure if Jeff truly听believed his racist听rants or if it was听just his way of gaining power and notoriety,鈥� Heffelfinger told Hatewatch. 鈥淣ow,听I will never know for sure.鈥�

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