Little personal information is available about Dylan Wade Butler prior to the events of 2011. At the time of the crime, he was a white teenager living in or near Rankin County, Mississippi, and was known to associate with a social group involved in racial harassment and violence. No verifiable public sources detail Butler’s education, occupation, or family background before the incident.

On June 26, 2011, 47-year-old James Craig Anderson was murdered in a racially motivated attack in Jackson, Mississippi. The crime was committed by a group of white teenagers, including Dylan Butler, who had gathered in the town of Puckett to drink and party. Led by Deryl Dedmon, the group conspired to “go fuck with some niggers,” according to testimony and FBI reports.

They split into two vehicles and traveled to Jackson, where they encountered Anderson outside the Metro Inn motel. Believing he was trying to break into a vehicle (which was actually his own), the group approached and brutally beat and robbed him. Witnesses reported racial slurs were yelled during the assault.

Dylan Butler was among those involved in the assault. While he did not commit the fatal act, he participated in the lead-up attack. After the beating, Dedmon ran Anderson over with his truck, killing him. Security footage later showed the truck striking Anderson.

Following the incident, a federal civil rights investigation uncovered a pattern of racially motivated attacks by the same group of teens, targeting Black individuals in Jackson. On March 22, 2012, Butler pleaded guilty alongside Dedmon and John Rice to federal hate crime and conspiracy charges.

On February 10, 2015, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves sentenced Butler to 7 years in federal prison for his role. His sentence was ordered to run concurrently with any state-level penalties and included no eligibility for parole.

As of today, Butler’s current location or release status is not publicly verified by the BOP inmate locator, which may indicate he completed his sentence around 2022 or was transferred to state custody.