Family and friends of a 23-year-old gay black Berkeley man who was found hanging from a tree at Concord BART in 1985 are urging authorities to reinvestigate the case, which was originally ruled a suicide.
Timothy Lee was found dead on November 2, 1985. A suicide note was left at the scene, but the family claims the suicide note was not in Lee’s handwriting, and they also claim family names in the note were misspelled. Police, however, said a handwriting analyst from the department of justice determined it was Lee who authored the note. A Los Angeles handwriting expert disputed the DOJ’s findings, saying there were enough inconsistencies with the note to warrant further investigation, and she even claimed she knew who the author of the note was. The alleged author’s name has never been released, but it was given to authorities.
Lee was also expected to move to Italy after having received a scholarship to study fashion design. Lee’s family said he was not depressed or suicidal at the time of his death.
Neighbors in the area of Concord BART also said they heard screams the night of Lee’s death.
Lee’s death came on the same night that two black men were assaulted by two men in white robes outside a Concord bar. Two men were later arrested, and at least one of them pleaded guilty to the assault. About seven months later, a black woman was found hanging from a tree in Lafayette. Her death was also ruled a suicide.
Lee’s case has remained closed since the late-80s.
Lee’s family is planning on contacting California Attorney General Rob Bonta in an effort to reopen the case.
Claycord.com previously reported on this story back in 2009. At the time, police said they had no intention of reopening the case.
We’ll keep you updated on any possible developments.
24 comments
Also, the strap used in the hanging was not his, neighbors also reported hearing screeching tires, and another neighbor – a person of color – reported that she had the klan come to her door that same evening.
More here: https://bit.ly/3iOi02g
Also the men arrest who were wearing KKK white robes.. They had KKK literature in the trunk of their car. Justice For my cousin Timmothy Charles Lee..
Hi Franklin, I wanted to share with you that your cousin Timmothy has not been forgotten. This happened 2 years before I was born but when I was young my uncle who has now passed away shared with me the story of your cousin when we drove by that area. It deeply affected my uncle and family. I think of your cousin from time to time and certainly always when I’m in that area. I was never able to remember his name, I’m happy to know now so I can be specific in my prayers for justice
In english your post makes no sense,why does it start with “also”.also what?One of 2 men arrested that night ,Goodfellow,has been locked up since Feb 1986 doing 3 life sentences without parole for a triple murder in Concord.all white people.
Pay attention,would ya?And Gearge Harless,the other one,had nothing to do with it,and moved away decades ago.
“Witnesses testified that Gallant, 23, and a man named George Harless had stabbed the men outside a bar early on November 2. Harless pleaded guilty to assault charges on January 22 and is being held in the California Medical Facility.” https://apnews.com/article/4f4dac16650032aee46ec06ecbac33c5
“Also,” the KKK became a national organization in the early 20th century. It famously held marches throughout the North and West including here in California. The idea that the KKK remained a Southern phenomenon is ahistorical. It is the same as declaring that the Nazis never left Germany (they did, and some of them even worked for the U.S. See Operation Paperclip).
Here are some helpful links:
+ White Nativism and Urban Politics: The 1920s Ku Klux Klan in Oakland, California https://www.jstor.org/stable/27502269
+ The Ku Klux Klan was active in Oakland beginning in the 1920s. Organizers W. G. McRae and R. M. Carruthers of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Inc. opened an office in Downtown Oakland in August of 1921. https://localwiki.org/oakland/Ku_Klux_Klan
+ “MEMBERS OF THE KU KLUX KLAN AND MEMBERS OF A GROUP CALLING ITSELF THE COMMITTEE AGAINST RACISM MIX IT UP OUTSIDE A KLAN MEETING IN CASTRO VALLEY SEPT 19, 1979.” https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Anti-racist-demonstrators-take-aim-at-the-Ku-Klux-2732068.php
+ A Brief History of the Ku Klux Klan in Orange County: Notes on the Banality of Evil https://fullertonobserver.com/2019/01/07/a-brief-history-of-the-ku-klux-klan-in-orange-county-notes-on-the-banality-of-evil/
+ The Ku Klux Klan in a Central California Community: Tulare County During the 1920s and 1930s https://www.jstor.org/stable/41172036
+ “During the 1910s, the Klan, which had been defunct since the concluding decades of the 19 th century, was revived in Atlanta, Georgia and spread across the country within a decade. The Klan’s revival was due in part to urbanization and industrialization. Many Klansmen in the 1920s – 1940s were lower to middle class whites who sought to protect their jobs and neighborhoods, both from black migrants moving out of the South and new immigrants arriving in industrial cities, particularly those from Southern and Eastern Europe who tended to be Catholic and Jewish. This collection of materials from the Realm of California primarily includes by-laws, correspondence, and publications.” https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8xd12xb/
+ Nazi Rally, Walnut Creek, CA. 1979 – http://www.mikemurphyphoto.net/nazi-rally-1979
+ From Bill Bennett to the American Nazi Party — Protest Racism in All Its Forms https://mronline.org/2005/11/08/from-bill-bennett-to-the-american-nazi-party-protest-racism-in-all-its-forms/
So not to be disrespectful but the kkk in Concord is so far removed from reality that it causes the whole thing to stink. It’s just simply outlandish to think there has ever been southern democrats roaming the streets in white robes in this region. It’s illogical. The kkk is a very specific group who has operated in very specific locations for specific purposes. They are tools of political groups. Never in California. I’m in tune with what the vibe here was in 85 and this ain’t it. Don’t get me wrong, people definitely could have done this to a black gay guy in Concord in 1985, but trying to bring the kkk and white robes is reminiscent of jussie smollet and bubba wallace.
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I wonder why the police determined it was suicide and why they won’t re open the case. In 1985 it could have been anything. If these witnesses were credible, I would think this would be resolved. Lots of questions.
I have lived here my whole life (54 years)not 1 KKK case and certainly nobody in white robes roaming the streets. Why is it always the white man killing the black every time the go to? Maybe just maybe he was killed by another black person or another person of another ethnicity, show some receipts before falsely vilifying people.
Hey BD… If you have lived there for 54 years… Then yes, at least one case of white men in KKK white robes… And not just out for a stroll… They stabbed 2 black men at a nearby Concord bar. You may be a little out of the loop if you missed the story. Here is a link to the article. One of the men I know pleaded guilty to the stabbing, not sure about the second man… https://apnews.com/article/6d587bda7517c77cd5c4550ada11f716
Sam… I know this type of thing is hard to belive, even when you think you know the place so well, But, It is a fact that 2 men… who were white, stabbed 2 black men on the night of my cousins killing. They also had KKK literature in their car… Here is a quote from an AP article of the time… “Hours before Lee died, two men wearing Ku Klux Klan-style robes stabbed two black men in the parking lot of a Concord bar. The men, who told police they were dressed up for a belated Halloween party, were charged in the attack.” here is a link to that article… https://apnews.com/article/6d587bda7517c77cd5c4550ada11f716 And if you still think KKK activity and white supremist are not around the area… in this article from Straight oyt of Concord show natioinal socialists flying a swastika flag at the Orinda BART station just a few stops from Concord BART.. https://straightouttaconcord.blogspot.com/2009/09/racism-sucks.html
You’re making my suspicions worse by combining the kkk and nazi flag. These are not compatible. I believe your understanding of these groups is what I would expect from someone from the bay area. It’s not realistic under any circumstances. I checked a couple “hate” websites and do not see any instances of the kkk in this area. The only reasonable thing is costumes from a halloween party. Those aren’t kkk.
Cold case. Good luck with that.
Is it?
Doesn’t a cold case have to still be open? They closed this case and ruled it a suicide based on the evidence at that time.
This case is 37 years old … and they want to reopen the case.
We already have a BACKLOG of cases and insufficient resources to resolve them, but these folks want to reopen a a 37 year old case.
Facts:
The DNA evidence is gone, unless they kept the rope/note.
Witnesses, probably not anymore and anyone that could make statement you could argue that their recollection s suspect, as it is 37 years ago. I mean, do you remember what you saw 37 years ago?
Are the detectives still around?
Is the LA handwriting expert reputable? If she ‘knew’ who the author was, why did she not release that when this event occurred? That is suspect to me … cause it means she knew of a crime and who was part of it … but she refused to share that information. Was she harboring a criminal?
It’s all very hoaxey. What’s suspect now is the idea of bringing it to the forefront in 2022 without any new evidence. A death determined to be a suicide involving a black gay gentleman and mysterious kkk robes…in Concord, CA. I just can’t. It’s like the port chicago explosion. I do not get how that’s tied to race. Yet politicians feel the need to bring it up in that context regularly as opposed to the military simply being negligent. I know you’re not supposed to notice these things…whatever
Kind of sounds like the Zodiac doesn’t it?
Yes Parent… We want the case reopened.. You can look into the facts.. Just google Timothy Charles Lee FBI and you can read all the articles that, in my opinion show a very flawed investigation to say the least.. And yes the handwriting expert Andrea McNichol is still alive. She has 37 more years experience and has took another look at the available evidence. And she says that if Timmy wrote this note he wrote it under duress. She is on stand by and ready to step up when needed. She is still working in her field. Also yes… We are still seeking justice. Ifd the people that did this to Timmy were around his age, they may very well still be alive. They could even be walking around Concord free to hold their grandbabies hand as they stroll around the tree where Timmy was killed. If that was the case, would you want that killer walking free around you and your loved ones? I hope not… Justice for Timothy Charles Lee… Concord has not heard the last of us!!!!
Ok Franklin
Law Enforcement does. It see enough evidence to open to case back up.
Since the lady is still alive. How bout she tell us who wrote the note? Now you are saying she believes Timmy might have written it under duress. Which is it; did he write it under duress or did someone else write it and she knows. That is a simple question ….
The LA Times paints a different picture of this situation, with several witnesses to his depression and his telling his roommate the night of his death that he might throw himself in front of a car. The Times says the only information about a scholarship came from the family and investigators could find no credible evidence there was such a thing. He had gotten one A, two C’s and two F’s in his last quarter in school.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-20-mn-21577-story.html
Yes.. To Do List… I have read that article and who knows why the man change his story. His original testimony was the opposite. At this point after reading through many pages of the FBI file and probably over a dozen different article. I would put it past people to pressure the roommate to change his story. We are dealing with some daek forces here. If you read all the article or at least the ones I have in the FBI file, you will see that many folks from the area were afraid to speak out. One person in particular in one of the articles stated that she knew who held the gun to Timmy’s head but she was terrified to speak out. Not only was she terrified of the people who were the alledged killers that were family friends… She also stated the that she was afraid of the police. So dig into the FBI file and get the information you need… https://vault.fbi.gov/timothy-charles-lee/timothy-charles-lee-part-01-of-01/view
To Do List, I also recall reading the investigation found splinters of tree bark on his clothing and hands consistent with someone who climbed up a tree. All the evidence points to a tragic suicide.
BTW the 2 white guys that were involved in a fight which resulted in the stabbing of a black man that night were already in police custody at the time of the hanging. They were never considered suspects.
Mark Middleton (a member of the Clinton administration who introduced Bill Clinton to Jeffrey Epstein ) was found at a ranch in Arkansas last May hanging by his neck with a shotgun blast through his chest. Cops say it was suicide….. it could happen.
And yes, i remember . NAACP member held a blockbuster press conference proving he was murdered because his credit card was used the day after his death. Then concord PD showed the posting date ( at that time) was always the next day.
@frank – Credit cards usually post a few days after the transaction. It was common back then and still is today. Also, someone’s credit card being used after the presumed date of someone’s death is not evidence that the person was murdered. Wallets and their contents can be found and/or stolen. The odds seem low the credit card was ever used after Timothy Lee’s death as there was only one transaction and not a string of them. That single transaction apparently was something that fit in with Timothy Lee’s expected spending and not a red flag that indicated further investigation. Finally, I can’t find anything on line about this “proof” that he was murdered. If you are withholding evidence then contact the Concord police department.
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