Naman Shrestha
Max’s ‘The Takedown: American Aryans’ is a four-part true-crime documentary series that revisits the crimes committed by the members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT), starting from the late 2000s. The criminal organization consisted of several prominent criminal figures, out of whom Dale “Tiger” Jameton was one of the most notorious as he was reportedly involved in different kinds of crimes, including a couple of murders. The show also features an exclusive interview with the ABT captain, who was asked a few questions about one of his crimes.
Dale “Tiger” Jameton Had Troubles With the Law Since His Teenage Years
Dale “Tiger” Jameton was born into a family that had ties with the Bandidos motorcycle gang, as his father and uncle were integral members of the gang. Growing up in Harris County, he was only six years old when he tasted alcohol for the first time. Just four years later, he was introduced to weed before he started doing cocaine at the age of 13. Soon, he began working for his uncle, who ran a meth lab in San Antonio. When he was 16, he was caught delivering drug paraphernalia to the lab. Around the same time, he was also involved in multiple house robberies in Harris County. As punishment for his crimes, he was ordered to serve 90 days in Harris County boot camp.
A few years down the line, in 2000, he was convicted of a robbery charge for which he was incarcerated at the Garza West Unit in South Texas. Four months later, he was transferred to Polunsky, a maximum-security facility in Livingston. During the time he was in jail, he joined the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT), admittedly for his protection. Dale moved up the ranks of the criminal organization, and by the time he was released from prison in November 2004, he had a new nickname — Tiger — and was a Captain in the ABT. However, seven months later, he was taken into custody yet again for the possession of methamphetamine, for which he served 400 days in jail. Within a month of his release, he was arrested for another drug charge in Dallas County.
Dale “Tiger” Jameton Was Responsible For the Murder of Anthony Clark and Breanna Taylor
On July 23, 2006, Jennifer Lee McClellan bailed Dale out of prison. Initially, he suspected her intentions, but as time went by, he trusted her. Soon, they started dating, and he moved into her Duvall Drive residence in Mesquite, Texas. Just a week after he got out of prison, on August 1, he murdered Anthony Ormwell Clark, who was allegedly a liability to the organization. In the same month, he and a few other members of ABT got involved in the murder of Breanna Taylor, who was the Featherwood of Jason “Trooper” Hankins. When they learned that she had been “bad-mouthing” the brotherhood, she was tortured at Jennifer’s house for several hours before she was allegedly strangled to death with a zip tie seemingly by Dale and Devanrin Manuel.
On August 25, 2005, Devanrin confessed to the police that Dale was responsible for the killing of Breanna. The police managed to arrest both the suspect and his girlfriend, Jennifer, that same day after a high-speed pursuit. During his interview, Dale claimed that Manuel carried out the killing and he was only responsible for disposing of the body. Initially, he admitted his involvement to the police but later recanted by claiming that the detectives had coerced him by blackmailing him. In total, seven ABT members were charged with the murder of Anthony, while four were charged with the killing of Breanna.
Dale “Tiger” Jameton is Serving His Sentence Today
Dale “Tiger” Jameton agreed to a plea bargain in December 2007. He agreed to plead guilty to the killings of Anthony Ormwell Clark and Breanna Taylor if Jennifer McClellan was cleared of the murder charges. It has been reported that he chose to do that to convey his gratitude to her for everything she had done for him. Upon being asked why he resorted to accepting a plea agreement instead of letting the case go to trial — akin to what other accused in the case adopted to do, he expressed confidence that had the case gone to trial, he “could’ve beat it.”
However, he emphasized that he was against trying his luck if it harbored the risk of Jennifer — whom he refers to as his “common-law wife” — facing the consequences. He stressed the aforementioned points by highlighting what she means to her and why he dotes upon her. It is Jennifer who reportedly secured his release by paying his bail. Not only did she ensure he had a roof over his head, but she also pulled out all the stops to prevent him from making impulsive decisions that could have a drastic or even fatal outcome.
Summing it all up, he exclaimed: “What kind of person would I be if I let her ride on a fall?” Therefore, as per the deal he struck with the Dallas District Attorney’s Office, Dale pled guilty to both murders. For his wrongdoings, he was given two concurrent life sentences without the possibility of parole. At the time, the rest of the defendants were counting the days to their trial. While Dale made sure Jennifer McClellan evaded possible life imprisonment with the plea deal, she did receive a sentence to serve 20 years behind bars. As of today, he is serving time at TDCJ Estelle Unit in Huntsville, Texas.
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