A jury in Nacogdoches, Texas, convicted Jerry Don Hartless in January of
killing his former best friend, Billy Bob Wallace, during a group drinking
bout one night along the Angelina River. According to testimony, Hartless
believed that Wallace had stolen his boat motor but couldn't prove it. Then,
that night, the group discussed a recent Jerry Springer show featuring a black
man claiming to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan, and the alcohol-fueled
Hartless insinuated that Wallace's girlfriend, who was there, craved sex with
black men. (All the drinking group were white.) When Wallace objected,
Hartless shot him. A witness to the shooting was Wallace's adult son, Wild
Bill Wallace (which is his actual birth name). [Daily Sentinel (Nacogdoches),
1-26-05]