James Earl Motley

Full Name: James Earl Motley
Victim Profile: James Earl Motley
Name Variations: Bronco
Biography: On November 20, 1966, James Earl Motley who was known by his friends and family as “Bronco” and was 27 years old, was lynched alongside AL Highway 231 in Elmore County about 3 miles south of Wetumpka, AL. Sherriff Deputy Harvey King Conner after being accused of highway drunkenness, resisting arrest, and interfering with an officer. James Earl Motley was born and raised in Wetumpka, AL and spent the first portion of his life under the care of his grandparents James and Mary Motley. James and Mary Motley had a daughter of their own that also lived in the residence named Dariy Motley (Aunt to James Earl Motley). James Motley’s sister Adie Motley was also living in the residence (great aunt to James Earl Motley). “Bronco” was unmarried and worked as a laborer for a construction company after he returned from serving in the Vietnam conflict with the United States Marine Corps. James Earl Motley was literate, educated and was aware of his rights as a human being. Motley’s death caught the attention of the national media and probed investigation(s) from the NAACP and the Department of Justice. Unfortunately, Harvey King Conner escaped the charges and the jury of 11 white men and one black man concluded that Ex-Deputy Sherriff Conner was innocent in less than two hours of deliberation.
Documented or Attempted: Documented
Birth Date: February 5, 1939
County of Birth; County of Death: Elmore County; Elmore County
Death Date: November 20, 1966
Age at Death: 27
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Researchers: Zachary Stanfield, Jana Venable
Case Number: ALM135-19661120-000
Identified by:: Alabama Memory Project
Mother: Daisy Lee Varner
Father: William Varner Jr. (stepfather)
All other relatives: Hannah E. Foster (sibling), Diana Varner (sibling), Sharon Varner (sibling), Donald Varner (sibling), Stanley Varner (sibling), James Motley, William Varner Sr., Mary Motley, Annie Lour Varner, Dariy Motley,
Occupation: Laborer for Construction Company, landowner (2)
Education Level: Grade School
Head of Household and Literacy Status: No; Yes