Lin Newborn
Encyclopedia
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
. A native of Pomona, CA, he lived in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
; where he was a member of the Las Vegas Unity Skins and sung in the band Life of Lies, which ended around 1996. Lin was looked up to by many of his friends and family as someone who would take the shirt off his back to help anyone.
On July 4, 1998, white supremacists
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
murdered Newborn at the age of 24 along with his friend, Daniel Shersty
Daniel Shersty
Airman 1st Class Daniel Shersty was a United States Air Force serviceman who was murdered along with his friend Lin Newborn for involvement in the anti-racist skinhead movement.- Early Life :...
. On July 6, 1998, Newborn's body was found three miles west of U.S. Highway 95 near Rome Boulevard, within 150 yards of Shersty's body. Police state that the victims were lured by two women, under the pretext of attending a party. Newborn and Shersty were taken to a northwest part of the valley, where they were beaten and possibly tortured before being shot to death. Police speculate that Newborn may have been trying to escape when he was killed.
John "Polar Bear" Butler (then 26), a known neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
, was convicted of the murders and sentenced to death. He was allegedly the leader of a group called the Independent Nazi Skins. After appealing, Butler's death sentence was vacated and he was given four life terms without parole. He is registered with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is a joint city-county police force for the City of Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada. It is run by the Sheriff of Clark County, elected every four years. The current Sheriff of Clark County is Douglas C...
's gang unit as a white supremacist. He is currently housed at High Desert State Prison in Nevada.