He was an American KKK Member who lived from 1954 to 1997 who lynched a 19-year old named Michael Donald in 1981. He and fellow KKK Member, James Knowles, were sentanced in the Alabama Supreme Court. Hayes was sentanced to death and was executed on June 6, 1997. Donald had been beaten with a tree limb and was hung on a tree, Hayes then strangled him on the throat. Even though many white citizens of Alabama wanted him to get a very small sentance, Governor Fob James refused and executed him immediately. He was also in fact the first KKK Member to be executed in nearly 100 years.