Here we go again - gay panic defense in New Orleans

[JackBeck]

by: Pam Spaulding
Sun Aug 17, 2008 at 06:00:00 AM EDT

A New Orleans high school teacher, Weston "Tony" Verrette, was brutally killed in his home by a vagrant who was taken in by Verrette to give him food and clothing. In what has become a familiar tale, the homeless man, Louis Church, readily confessed to the heinous crime, then http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/vagrant_murders_ehret_high_tea.html">claimed a sexual advance was made by Verrette and he had no other choice but to slay the 52-year-old.

Church, later identified by police as the estranged stepson of retired Gretna Police Lt. Brad Church, confessed to murdering Verrette and claimed he had become enraged by Verrette allegedly making sexual advances on him, police spokesman Anthony Christiana said today.

Christiana said the Gretna Police will not be pursuing hate crime charges because Church said he was enraged by the alleged sexual advances but not because of a blanket judgment about Verrette's sexuality.

By the way, in his panic, Church also stole the man's wallet, cell phone and other personal items -- they were found in the defendant's car.

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=6532

Has this legal defense tactic ever worked? Reminds me of the Matthew Shepard case. Didn't work then, shouldn't work now.

[Bluebear]

1. "That homo made me kill him & steal his wallet and phone!"

How awful a story :(

[JackBeck]

5. It's terrible.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays itself out.

[beam me up scottie]

12. That'll teach him, That's what you get for trying to help a homeless guy.

No good deed and all that.

[Taverner]

2. Um, sounds like he just turned this into a hate crime

Wow, what a dumbass!

[BlooInBloo]

6. Do they *have* hate crimes in the south?

[JackBeck]

8. I just checked and yes, LA has hate crimes that protect sexual orientation.

http://www.adl.org/99hatecrime/provisions.asp

[BlooInBloo]

10. Ok, cool.

[beam me up scottie]

11. Not where I live.

Minorities ask for it.

The nerve of those people, expecting to have the same rights as regular Americans...

[JackBeck]

7. But it was because the homo hit on him, not because of his sexual orientation.

:eyes:

It's a shame this isn't a federal crime.

[Taverner]

15. It should be - sounds like a straight up hate crime to me

No pun intended

[EFerrari]

3. I don't think I'd like living in Gretna. n/t

[JackBeck]

16. Hate crimes against the LGBT community are again on the rise.

To be quite honest, and without sounding overly dramatic, there are few places I feel safe anymore.

[EFerrari]

18. If hate crimes are on the rise, I trust they will occur in Gretna first.

Isn't that the community that fired on survivors of Katrina trying to leave NOLA?

You come to San Francisco. It's not true that normal people can't find a place to live here. And I have realtor friends in the house. :hi:

[marmar]

4. Apparently gay panic turns you into a thief as well......

What an absolute ass! Rot in pieces, Mr. CHURCH (Irony alert!).

[sui generis]

9. he was a predator.

I mean, the young man.

Facts are, whether appropriate or not, the guy may very well have made a pass at him. Generally speaking, unless the guy was operating a shelter his reason for "taking in" a reasonably attractive young man instead of a broke down old bag lady calls his generosity into question.

Howver, having addressed the reality of the situtation, a simple "no" would have sufficed. The punishment for making a pass, or worse, for believing someone made a pass . . . should not be a "punishment". It's like getting getting killed for offering to make somebody a sandwich. A simple "no" would suffice.

Church is a predator because there is no young man "on the street" who honestly believes that being "taken in" might not at some point come with an ulterior motive. To use it as an excuse for murder . . . ? That piece of piss poor protoplasm needs to be dropped down a deep hole with a permanent "manhole" cover and throw away the key to keep him from further "panic".

[beam me up scottie]

13. Indeed.

If women were allowed to execute the men who made passes at us they'd be an endangered species...

[Karenina]

14. BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

:spray::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[EFerrari]

19. I had the same thought. If I'd have killed every idiot that tried to lay on hands

AND stolen his wallet, too, omfg.

:rofl:

[Huskerchub]

20. let me understand this...

"unless the guy was operating a shelter his reason for "taking in" a reasonably attractive young man instead of a broke down old bag lady calls his generosity into question."

So what your saying is that he was asking for it, hmmmmmmmmmmm interesting that. So when a 21 yo college coed is out at 2 in the morning wearing a short skirt and a revealing top well, of course she was groped/raped/hit because she should have know better than to go out dressed that way. Is that what your saying because it certainly sounds like it. Or else you just think that a gay man is disposable because he may/may not find another guy attractive. :banghead:

[sui generis]

21. you are fighting with your own fist grasshoppa

and you put words in my mouth.

I'm speaking from real world experience. I did not even REMOTELY imply that he was "asking for it". So straw man, you have met your straw match and you are on fire.

Huskerchub, read my words again. I was saying that it was likely he made a pass, for whatever reasons. Now go focus on the rest of what I said, no reply needed.

[valerief]

17. Sounds like a simple sex pickup and the hustler decided to

kill, steal, and run instead. And then lie.