The Gay Made Me Kill Him! Possible Gay Panic Defense In Murder Of College Student

[WillParkinson]

NEW YORK CITY: Possible Gay Panic Defense In Murder Of College Student

In August 2008, openly gay Pace University student Jason Pravia, 19, was murdered in his Chelsea apartment after he left a downtown party. According to reports, Pravia left the party extremely drunk and went to Union Square to score drugs. There he met Jeromie Cancel, 22, an occasional dealer and former mental patient who accompanied Pravia back to his apartment. After Pravia fell asleep, Cancel suffocated him with a plastic bag and robbed his apartment. When asked by police why he'd killed Pravia, Cancel reportedly said, "Because I wanted to. You gotta problem with that?"

Cancel is about to go on trial for second degree murder. According to Duncan Osborne at Gay City News, his lawyers may be preparing a gay panic defense. Osborne reports that prospective jurors were questioned yesterday about their views on "extreme emotional disturbance" as a justification for murder.

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-york-city-possible-gay-panic.html

[RaleighNCDUer]

1. Sounds to me like this guy was pretty disturbed long before he met Pravia. nt

[RetiredTrotskyite]

2. I Think You're Right.

This guy seems to have more issues than a NYC newsstand! I hope at some point, the gay panic defense is deemed not usable in the defense of someone accused of murdering a GLBT peerson.

[foxfeet]

3. Gee, it's a wonder that women haven't been killing men in droves,

what with unwanted sexual advances being an unpardonable offense and all.

[ThomCat]

4. It's amazing that those straight men who think it's reasonable

to be afraid of getting hit on don't make the connection and realize that a lot of women often don't enjoy getting hit on any more than they do.

Empathy is a skill. It can be developed. One has to wonder why so many men don't develop it.