Killing of Brian Deneke

Mike Deneke and Betty Bieker married in 1974 in Concordia, and had two sons: Jason Michael and Brian Theodore.

The family settled in southwest Amarillo, Texas, from Wichita in winter 1981.

Deneke was a dancer in a Boy Scout troop during elementary school.

He attended Belmar Elementary, Paramount Terrace Elementary, Crockett Middle School, and Amarillo High School in Amarillo.

He dropped out of high school during his junior year, and earned his GED at age 17.

Deneke was an artist for Stanley Marsh 3's art project, Dynamite Museum, which consisted of handmade mock road signs scattered across Amarillo city streets.

Deneke was also the vocalist of punk rock group The White Slave Traders, and aspired to become a famous punk rock musician.

Deneke was remembered by his friends as being friendly, charismatic and seen as a leader in local punk circles, helping to organize many local musical events.

Nicknamed "Sunshine", Deneke had a spiked mohawk hairstyle and often wore a black leather jacket with a studded leather collar and sported homemade tattoos.

He was also an enthusiastic skateboarder, and it was this interest that drew him into the punk subculture.

Like other punks in Amarillo, Deneke had suffered frequent harassment and bullying, and acquired nicknames such as "Punch" and "Fist Magnet" by tormentors.

His parents were against their son's lifestyle, and warned him of possible prejudice from people in Amarillo.

The International House of Pancakes across the street from the Western Plaza Shopping Center was a popular hangout for youths in Amarillo, Texas.

On December 12, 1997, 19-year-old American punk musician Brian Theodore Deneke (March 9, 1978 – December 12, 1997) was killed in a deliberate hit and run attack in Amarillo, Texas, by 17-year-old Dustin Camp.

Camp was later found guilty of voluntary vehicular manslaughter and sentenced to ten years' probation and a $10,000 fine, which was later dropped.

On Saturday, December 6, 1997, a confrontation occurred at the IHOP involving Dustin Camp, a student and football player for Tascosa High School in Amarillo, and John King, a member of the punk rock community.

One witness, Kendra Petitt, claims that Camp hopped the median in his Cadillac as he tried to run the punks down in the parking lot, and that Camp missed and instead had his car window smashed by John King's police baton.

Camp and friends denied this event happened.

Tension and resentment from this confrontation lingered among the respective groups for the following week.

After a night of heavy drinking on Friday, December 12, 1997, Dustin Camp and his companions returned to the Western Plaza Shopping Center at 11:00 p.m., anticipating a fight with members of the punk community.

Violence soon broke out between jocks and punks outside of the IHOP restaurant.

During the fight Dustin Camp retreated into his Cadillac; at first Camp appeared to drive away but then he sharply turned back, targeting Deneke by running him over.

Camp's attorney would later argue that Camp returned to defend a fellow jock; however, this claim was denied by Deneke's companions.

During Camp's murder trial, a passenger eyewitness testified that Camp exclaimed "I'm a Ninja in my Caddy!"

as he targeted Deneke and then "I bet he liked that one!"

after he ran over Deneke as he sped away from the scene.

Dustin Camp was charged with murder.

While out on $100,000 bail, he was allowed to attend his graduation ceremony at his original high school.

During his trial his defense claimed that he had acted in defense of a friend whom Deneke was attacking.

Camp's defense attorney, Warren L. Clark, defended by trying to shift the blame on Deneke and the punk community.

Clark portrayed the punks as violent thugs and went as far as calling them "armed goons".

Defense attorney Clark used incidents from Deneke's past that made him look violent, and claimed that he was the aggressor on the night of his death.

The defense also claimed that witnesses for the prosecution were punks who lied under oath.

In contrast to the punks, the defense characterized the alleged murderer as a wholesome and clean-cut youth.

In 2001, he was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment for a variety of parole violations.

He was paroled under supervision on July 31, 2006.

The homicide and the outcome of the trial against Camp galvanized the punk community and raised accusations about the social tolerance of the Texan city.

Brian Deneke was born in Wichita, Kansas, the younger of two sons to Michael Max "Mike" Deneke and Elizabeth Louise "Betty" Bieker.

His father was a native of Beloit, Kansas, and was born to Sylvester and Darlene Deneke.

Betty Deneke was a native of Concordia, Kansas, and was born to Omer and Marie Bieker.