Skinhead Describes Plot to Kill Gay Man

A skinhead who pleaded guilty to killing a gay man testified in Rockford, Ala., that his co-defendant did not strike the fatal blows but joined him in a scheme to lure the victim to a remote area with the promise of sex. Steven Eric Mullins, 25, has pleaded guilty to capital murder in the Feb. 19 death of Billy Jack Gaither, 39, who was beaten with an ax handle and whose throat was cut. Charles M. Butler Jr., 21, told police that he helped Mullins burn Gaither’s body and set Gaither’s car afire to destroy evidence, but he blamed Mullins for the murder.