Missing e-mails at issue in Wone murder

Attorneys representing three gay men charged with obstruction of justice in connection with the murder of Washington attorney Robert Wone accused prosecutors in court Friday of failing to preserve evidence from Wone’s BlackBerry cell phone that could have helped prove their clients’ innocence.

The lead prosecutor in the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenn Kirschner, disputed the significance of the lost e-mails. He said the government has solid evidence showing that defendants Joseph Price, Victor Zaborsky and Dylan Ward obstructed justice by engaging in evidence tampering to hide the facts surrounding Wone’s August 2006 murder.

But Bernard Grimm, Price’s attorney, told reporters after Friday’s status hearing before D.C. Superior Court Judge Frederic Weisberg that the government theory about the timing of the murder is “now under question.” He said the questions surfaced as a result of the government’s disclosure April 17 that Wone sent at least two e-mails from his BlackBerry at a time when prosecutors believed Wone dead. See Missing e-mails at issue in Wone murder * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual

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Activists, family hope good can come from Zapata’s death

A Colorado jury’s conviction of the man who murdered a transgender woman is a bittersweet moment for activists and the victim’s family, who are hoping while mourning that some good can come from the tragedy.

On April 22, Allen Andrade of Thorton, Colo., was convicted of first-degree murder and a hate crime for killing Angie Zapata, who was transgender, by beating her to death with a fire extinguisher in her Greeley, Colo., apartment.

Defense attorneys argued that Andrade, 32, killed Zapata, 18, while in a sort of “trans-panic” mindset after they agreed to meet for sex and he discovered she was transgender. But prosecutors argued that the murder was premeditated and Andrade murdered Zapata because he hated LGBT people. See Activists, family hope good can come from Zapata’s death
Case marks first time hate crimes law used in trans killing * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual

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Bigoted GOP Rep blames ABC News For Calling Matt’s Death a “Hoax”

For the second night in a row, Countdown’s Keith Olbermann has blasted North Carolina Congresswoman Virginia Foxx as the Worst Person in the World.

Last night she won for saying on the floor of the house:

“We know that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn’t because he was gay,” Foxx said during debate. “The bill was named for him, the hate-crimes bill was named for him, but it’s really a hoax that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills.”

Shepard died several days after he was found tied to a remote fence in Wyoming, severely beaten and robbed of $20. Prosecutors said he was lured from a bar by two men, including one whose defense attorney said reacted violently after Shepard made a sexual advance.

Tonight Keith told Foxx to “apologize sincerely” To MAtt’s Mom – who was sitting in the gallery of the house when Fox spoke – or resign her seat in the US House of Representatives.

Who knew such bigotry as Foxx’s was alive and well in the Winston-Salem area of North Carolina?

Check out the video here.
* Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual

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WATCH GOP Rep: Story of Matthew Shepard’s Murder A “Hoax”

As the House of Representatives debates an expansion of hate crimes legislation, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) has taken the rhetoric to a new level, claiming that those who say Matthew Shepard was murdered in Wyoming for being gay are perpetrating a “hoax” on the American people.

“I also would like to point out that there was a bill — the hate crimes bill that’s called the Matthew Shepard bill is named after a very unfortunate incident that happened where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn’t because he was gay. This — the bill was named for him, hate crimes bill was named for him, but it’s really a hoax that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills,” said Foxx.

A Foxx spokesman didn’t immediately return a call. The Matthew Shepard “hoax” notion is a popular meme on right-wing blogs.

The Matthew Shepard Foundation is dedicated to reducing hate crimes.

The New York Times reported in 1998: “According to the local police and prosecutors, the two men lured Mr. Shepard out of a bar by saying they were gay. Then, the Laramie police say, the pair kidnapped Mr. Shepard, pistol-whipped him with a .357 Magnum, and left him tied to a ranch fence for 18 hours until a passing bicyclist spotted Mr. Shepard, who was unconscious.”

“She should be ashamed,” said Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), himself a victim of a hate crime during the struggle for civil rights. “That is unreal, unbelievable. The law enforcement people and almost every reasonable person I know believes he was murdered because he was gay.”

WATCH GOP Rep: Story of Matthew Shepard’s Murder A “Hoax”

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Defense: Colo. slaying because of deception

(Greeley, Colorado) A man accused of beating an 18-year-old transgendered woman to death with a fire extinguisher “snapped” after finding out the teen was biologically male, a defense lawyer argued Thursday as the murder trial began.

But a prosecutor contended Allen Andrade knew Angie Zapata’s secret for at least 36 hours …

California Supreme Court appears likely to uphold gay marriage ban

The California Supreme Court today appeared inclined to uphold Proposition 8, but showed obvious reluctance to void thousands of same-sex marriages already in place when voters restored a ban on gay marriage last fall.

During three hours of arguments in San Francisco, the justices peppered lawyers opposing Proposition 8 with questions that suggested they do not believe they have the authority to trump the will of the voters.

At the same time, even justices who voted against striking down California’s previous ban on gay marriage indicated that Proposition 8 should not wipe out an estimated 18,000 same-sex marriages that took place last year. Those couples mobilized around the state to obtain marriage licenses after the Supreme Court ruled last May that California’s prior ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional.

“Is that really fair to people who depended on what this court said was the law?” Justice Ming Chin asked Ken Starr, the former Clinton impeachment prosecutor who argued that same-sex marriages shouldn’t be recognized under Proposition 8.

See California Supreme Court appears likely to uphold gay marriage ban

San Jose Mercury News – CA, USA

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Galveston gay bar attack draws rare use of law

Galveston prosecutors took the exceedingly rare step this week of filing hate crime enhancements when they charged three men with felony assault for an attack at one of the city’s gay bars.

This marks only the second time the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office has pursued such enhancements, based on the staff’s recollections, said prosecutor Jennifer Ott.

As a result, brothers Lawrence Henry Lewis III, 20, and Lawrneil Henry Lewis, 18, and their cousin, Alejandro Sam Gray, 17 could face an elevated punishment of five to 99 years or life in prison if a jury convicts them of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and agrees they committed a hate crime.

The trio is accused of hurling large rocks or pieces of concrete at patrons inside Robert’s Lafitte in the 2500 block of Avenue Q around 8 p.m. Sunday, injuring two men, including one who tried to chase them.

Marc Bosaw, 57, needed 12 staples to close a laceration to the back of his head, while James Troy Nickelson, 39, was struck in the jaw.

One of the three suspects later told police their intent was to target homosexuals, said Galveston Police Department Lt. D.J. Alvarez. The trio also hurled homophobic insults, authorities said.

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Prosecutor in gay porn producer murder: Tapes prove guilt

(Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania) Tapes with a revealing conversation about the murder of producer Bryan Kocis were played for the jury deciding the fate of Harlow Cuadra on Tuesday.

Kocis’ body was discovered in his home in 2006 by firefighters responding to a blaze in the rural home. More than 80 percent of his …

Prosecutor in gay porn producer murder: Tapes prove guilt

(Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania) Tapes with a revealing conversation about the murder of producer Bryan Kocis were played for the jury deciding the fate of Harlow Cuadra on Tuesday.

Kocis’ body was discovered in his home in 2006 by firefighters responding to a blaze in the rural home. More than 80 percent of his …

Garland man gets 30 years for Oak Lawn anti-gay attack

A Garland man was sentenced to 30 years in prison today for his role in what prosecutors called an anti-gay attack last year in Oak Lawn.
Jonathan Gunter had faced up to life in prison after being convicted of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.
On Tuesday, the victim, Jimmy Lee Dean, 43, testified that he was knocked unconscious during the attack in July 2008 and remembers little of what happened. Gunter, 32, and another man, Bobby Singleton, were both accused in the attack. Singleton is awaiting trial.
Today, Dean said that the jury’s verdict “works out OK.” See Garland man gets 30 years for Oak Lawn anti-gay attack
Dallas Morning News * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual