[3] Thurgood Marshall travelled to Oklahoma to assist the defense shortly after the trial of Joseph Spell.

[4] Marshall had a strong case asserting Lyons's innocence, however the judge allowed for a jury's determination.

[3] The case was overshadowed by early events related to World War II and the court's decision on the Sherman Act.

[7] Lyons was spared the death penalty in the case, despite the gruesome nature of the murder, after his defense exposed abuses by police and officials.

[5] Some observers also suggested the murder may have been carried out by poorly supervised prisoners at a nearby work camp and Lyons used as a scapegoat to avoid bad publicity and possible investigations of local law officers and politicians.