A year after one of the most horrific hate crimes in modern history, justice is one step closer to being served.

On Monday in Bryan, Texas, Lawrence Russell Brewer was convicted in the dragging death of James Byrd Jr.

Brewer is the second man so far to be convicted in Byrd’s murder. Shawn Allen Berry is facing trial next month; the first man, John William King, currently is on death row.

The men, all of whom are part of a white supremacist organization, allegedly chained Byrd, an African American, by the ankles to the bumper of a pick-up truck. He was dragged for three miles.

Brewer could face the death penalty for his part in Byrd’s murder.

What happened to Byrd, similar to what happened to gay student Matthew Shepard last year, is absolutely disgusting and inhuman.

During the trial, Brewer put his cowardice on display, downplaying his role in the murder by saying he didn’t realize that Byrd was chained to the truck. His defense proved that he is not only a racist animal, buthe can’t even own up to a tragedy that he helped create.

Where’s the apology to Byrd’s family, his friends? Where’s the remorse for his evil act? What, in the wake of Byrd’s murder, can anyone offer that will begin to heal the town of Jasper?

Brewer could receive the death penalty, and although death may seem like a fitting punishment for Brewer, who obviously has no regard for human life, it wouldn’t be.

Let this man spend the rest of his life in prison; let him spend every second of the remainder of his sad life contemplating what he did to James Byrd Jr., what he did to his family and friends.

And let all of us realize that we’re not as far along in the battle for equality as we thought.

It would be incredibly naive to pretend that racism doesn’t exist anymore, but incidents such as Jasper unnerve and shock in a way that’s almost indescribable. Just when it’s perceived that progress is being made, another terrible act happens that confirms we’re back to square one.

The only thing we can do in the wake of tragedies such as Byrd’s is learn from them.

We won’t learn anything from Brewer or his sick cronies. There’s no rhyme or reason for what happened.

But despite the fact that Brewer doesn’t deserve to be in society, the death penalty isn’t an appropriate punishment.

Death, after all, would give him peace, which is something Byrd’s family will never have.