The harrowing death of Javion Magee compounded by controversy and confusion

In an explosive case out of North Carolina, the recent death of Javion Magee, a long-haul truck driver from the Chicago metro area, has sparked controversy and confusion online. The 21-year-old was found dead in a rural area near Henderson, North Carolina, on September 11, 2024.

Content warning: discussion of racist violence, murder, and suicide

Speaking with WTVD (ABC11), Vance County Sheriff Curtis R. Brame acknowledged vast online speculation suggesting a possible lynching, but his office strongly refutes those claims and says that there are no signs of foul play.

“I understand there’s over 1,000 hits on TikTok (accusing) the sheriff’s office of not being transparent, not providing information to the family and that is not true,” Brame told ABC11, before diving into what would seem to be a semantic discussion of the definition of lynching. “There’s been information put out there that there’s a lynching. There is not a lynching. The young man was not dangling from a tree. He was not swinging from a tree. The rope was wrapped around his neck. It was not a noose. There was not a knot in the rope, so therefore, it was not a lynching here in Vance County.”

Brame relayed that Magee’s body had been sent to the medical examiner for an autopsy to determine the official cause of death and that North Carolina’s State Bureau of Investigation was involved.

In another report from WNCN, “at 10:08 a.m., deputies with the Vance County Sheriff’s Office were called to 285 Vanco Mill Road. On arrival, deputies found the man ‘in a seated position with a rope wrapped around his neck and the other end of the rope attached to a tree.'”

In yet another report from WRAL.com, Candice Matthews, spokesperson for the Magee family, told the outlet that the family believes Magee’s death to be a hate crime.

Family response and social media

“In my opinion, it’s a hate crime because this young man had no indication of suicidal ideation,” Matthews said.

Though local law enforcement apparently ruled his death a suicide, family members and activists have raised questions about the circumstances surrounding his death.

In the original TikTok video, a woman (@scottieprimpin), who claims to be Magee’s cousin, says that authorities told Magee’s family that he had purchased rope from a local Walmart and hung himself. She conveys the family disputes these findings and says the Vance County Sheriff’s Office told his mother she could not identify her son’s body due to COVID-19 restrictions. She says it was then relayed Magee’s father would also have to grant permission, to which he consented.

She also then claimed that Magee’s mother asked for photos. The request was initially granted but then denied, expressing that the condition of his body was too grotesque to meet her demand.

Geographic confusion, sundown towns, and other information

There has been significant geographic misunderstanding about two distinct locations. First, Henderson, North Carolina, is the small city near the location of the incident and is located approximately 40 minutes north of Raleigh, the state capital. Henderson County, North Carolina, is a county in the western portion of the state that includes the city of Hendersonville and is unrelated to this case. The confusion has led people to spread misinformation and conflate historical contexts between the two areas.

Though Magee was found outside city limits, many online commentators have also claimed that Henderson is a “sundown town” despite the lack of evidence. A “sundown town,” which still exists throughout the United States, refers to heavy majority-white communities that historically exclude non-white residents after sunset through various discriminatory practices. Of particular note, Henderson is also 63% Black/African American and 75% non-White. Vance County Sheriff Curtis R. Brame is Black. Henderson also has a Black mayor, Melissa Elliott.

As this case gathers national steam, and despite law enforcement officials urging the public to await official findings rather than speculate, the present information—especially rope being found around Magee’s neck—is likely enough to create ongoing speculation and online fervor.

This story will be updated as more news arrives.