Arrest Made; Police Say Iowa Man Was Beaten With Bat

[William769]

Police have made an arrest in the case of a Waterloo, Iowa, man beaten to death on a friend's front porch while being called antigay slurs.

The The Courier of Waterloo–Cedar Falls reports that Paris Akeem Anding, 19, was arrested Thursday on charges of second-degree murder. Anding is being held in jail without bond. And new details about the killing of of 19-year-old Marcellus Andrews have emerged from a criminal complaint filed today, according to the Associated Press. Police say Andrews was killed after being hit in the head with a baseball bat.

Iowa police have so far refused to investigate Andrews's murder as a hate crime despite witnesses saying they heard antigay slurs used during the beating. Andrews's family recently spoke out, saying they also do not want the murder prosecuted as a hate crime because Andrews was not gay. The victim's cousin told the media that just because a man is effeminate, it doesn't make him gay.

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/09/09/Arrest_Made_Police_Say_Iowa_Man_Was_Beaten_With_Bat/

[Kennah]

1. I'm not an expert on the law ...

... but a hate crime indicates intent. If the person charged intended to assault a gay man and did use antigay slurs, whether the victim was or was not gay is irrelevant. It's still a hate crime.

[William769]

2. You would think so.

But some people will tell you otherwise.