Civil Rights Commission to probe hanging of Florida man after inquest calls death a suicide

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights said it will look into the death of a Florida man found hanging from a tree after an inquest failed to lift a fog of innuendo, rumor and suspicion by members of a poor, rural town that he was lynched.

The commission, which investigates allegations of discrimination in the justice system, will conduct a preliminary investigation before it decides whether to dispatch an investigative team. It would refer its findings to the U.S. Justice Department for a possible criminal investigation.

Feraris Golden, 32, was found hanging outside his grandmother's house on May 28. Some relatives initially said it was impossible Golden had committed suicide, because he was bound. Friends said Golden was dating a White policeman's daughter in this farming community of about 15,000, where about half of the residents are Black and many are poor.

Uneasiness over the death became so strong that NAACP leaders called for an inquest, the first in Palm Beach County in 18 years.

During the coroner's inquest to try to determine if Golden committed suicide or was lynched, as had been rumored, it was revealed that the bed sheet used as a noose may have come from Golden's own home. Golden had no injuries that would indicate a struggle; he was heavily drunk and also had cocaine in his system; and he was probably depressed, telling his grandmother: "Nobody loves me. I'm going to kill myself."

A packed courtroom listened to a tape-recorded 911 call and watched a police videotape showing officers running to Golden and removing him from the tree. The video showed that his hands were untied.

Palm Beach Circuit Judge Harold Cohen ruled after the inquest that Golden committed suicide.

During the hearing, the courtroom was split almost entirely by race. White police officers, witnesses and community members sat on one side while Black members of Golden's family, members of the community and representatives for the NAACP sat on the other.

Bobby Doctor, director of the commission's Southern regional office, said he would continue to interview family members and investigators about persistent rumors that Golden's hands were tied behind his back.

"When you get this kind of allegation, that the young man's hands were tied behind his back, you have to take it seriously," Doctor said.