Tag: murder

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Witness: Ahmaud Arbery’s Accused Killer Used Racial Slur Following Shooting

L-R Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan (Glynn County Sheriff)
The man who recorded the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, 25, in Georgia told investigators the man who killed Arbery used a racial slur right after the shooting. From NBC News:

The white Georgia man accused of killing an unarmed black man, Ahmaud Arbery, used a racial slur after the fatal shooting, according to another suspect’s account to an investigator.

The allegation was revealed as the prosecution presented its case at a preliminary hearing on Thursday morning for defendants Gregory McMichael, 64, his son Travis McMichael, 34, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, 50.

The defense, which was to follow the prosecution at the hearing, has yet to respond to the allegation of the slur.

Special agent Richard Dial with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said during the hearing that Bryan said that he heard Travis McMichael say, “f—ing N-word” after Arbery had been shot.

Attorneys for the McMichaels say Arbery’s death is a tragedy, “but that does not mean a crime has been committed.”

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Four Minneapolis Police Officers Fired Following Death Of Black Man

Minneapolis police officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd
The Minneapolis Police Department has fired four officers involved in the death of George Floyd, a black man who died while being arrested on Monday. He was reportedly being detained as a possible suspect in a bad check-writing case. The incident, showing one officer kneeling on the neck of handcuffed Gregory Floyd as he lay face down on the ground, was recorded and shared across social media on Monday night. In the video, Floyd can be heard saying he could not breathe many times. As the video continues, he seems to lose consciousness. Floyd was later pronounced dead at the Hennepin County Medical Center. You can see portions of the video footage below. Warning: extremely disturbing.

“The man looked already dead before the ambulance even got there. He was clearly trying to tell them he couldn’t breathe and they ignored him,” Darnella Frazier, one of the people who filmed the incident, told NBC News. The police department has told reporters that the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has been contacted to independently investigate. Additionally, the department announced the FBI would also be investigating. The names of the four officers have not been released by the Minneapolis Police Department. The news of the firing of the officers was shared by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Twitter where he called the decision “the right call.” “Four responding MPD officers involved in the death of George Floyd have been terminated,” Frey wrote. “This is the right call.”

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Justice Dept To Launch Hate Crime Investigation In Georgia Shooting

Ahmaud Arbery
From CBS News:

The U.S. Department of Justice is launching an investigation into the shooting death of an unarmed black man in Georgia as a hate crime, according to attorneys for the victim’s family.

Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was shot and killed by two white men while jogging in his neighborhood on February 23. Three arrests were made this month after video surfaced of the violent encounter.

Attorneys for Arbery’s family said the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia Bobby Christine and his office will look into why Glynn County and the state of Georgia took more than two months to make an arrest and whether the region has historically violated the rights of its citizens. The U.S. Attorney said he plans to file criminal and civil charges.

William Bryan, who recorded Arbery’s killing from his car, was arrested and charged with felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. His footage showed 64-year-old Gregory McMichael and his 34-year-old son, Travis, confront Arbery before shooting him.

Gregory and Travis were both arrested May 9. Travis was charged with murder and aggravated assault, and Gregory was charged with party to murder and aggravated assault.

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Shooting Video Was Leaked By Friend Of McMichaels Thinking It Would Clear Them

Greg McMichaels and his son Travis were convicted of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia

L-R Gregory McMichaels, Travis McMichaels (mug shots)
It turns out the video footage showing Gregory and Travis McMichaels shooting Ahmaud Arbery in the street was leaked by a friend believing it would clear them. The friend, attorney Alan Tucker, also put the blame for Arbery’s death on Arbery saying if he had ‘just froze’ he wouldn’t have been shot. From The Daily Mail:

The shocking video that showed two white men shooting unarmed black jogger Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia was leaked to the press by the assailants’ close friend who believed it would clear them of any crime.

Attorney Alan Tucker told Inside Edition Friday that he was responsible for releasing the footage, which showed his pals Gregory and Travis McMichael engaged in a fatal altercation with Arbery in Brunswick on February 23.

‘I really thought releasing the video would put the truth out to the public,’ Tucker stated.

‘If he [Arbery] had just froze and hadn’t done anything, then he wouldn’t have been shot.’

I see. Two white men in Georgia grab their guns, jump in their pickup truck and chase after a young black man jogging. They stop the young man waving their weapons and yelling at the young man. Not knowing who they were or what was happening, it was Arbery’s responsibility to just stand there and perhaps let them shoot him??? For over two months, there was little to no response by the local police authorities. It wasn’t until the video was released that public outcry made ignoring the case impossible. According to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson blocked police from arresting them because she was friends with Gregory McMichael, who worked as an investigator in Johnson’s office. The McMichaels have now been charged with murder and aggravated assault. Gregory McMichaels reportedly told police he recognized Arbery as a burglary suspect in the neighborhood. But no break-ins were reported in the neighborhood for seven weeks before they killed him.

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Georgia Men (Finally) Arrested In Fatal Shooting Of Black Jogger

Ahmaud Arbery
From the Washington Post:

A Georgia father and son were arrested and charged with murder Thursday evening in the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery amid intensifying pressure from across the political spectrum.

Footage of the young black man who was fatally shot by a white man in Georgia ignited outrage across the political spectrum, with former vice president Joe Biden comparing it to a lynching and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) calling the shooting “absolutely horrific.”

President Trump, speaking at an event in the Oval Office on Thursday, said he expects to get a “full report” on the incident and called the death “a very sad thing.”

Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, spoke passionately about the incident during a virtual campaign roundtable focused on African American issues Thursday, telling participants that watching 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery “shot down in cold blood” was like seeing him “lynched before our very eyes.”

Arbery was killed in February while jogging in a residential neighborhood in Brunswick, Ga. Video of his brief interaction with at least two men who confronted him, seconds before the gunshots, was released on social media this week.

Gregory McMichael, 64, a retired police detective, and his son, Travis McMichael, 34, saw Arbery jogging and told police they believed he looked like a suspect in a series of neighborhood burglaries (although local journalists found just one burglary reported to police between Jan. 1 and Feb. 23). The two men grabbed a handgun and shotgun and began chasing Arbery in a truck, according to a police report. Gregory McMichael said he shouted to Arbery, “Stop, stop, we want to talk to you,” before pulling up in their truck. Approaching him with their guns, a physical altercation ensued that left Arbery dead. You can see the video below as well as a Twitter thread from Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), the only black Republican in the Senate.

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Teen Receives Life In Prison For Gruesome Grindr Stabbing Death

gay dating app Grindr

The Guardian reports 18-year-old Brian Healless has received a life sentence in prison with a minimum of 24 years for the stabbing death of a teenager he met via Grindr.

A teenager who lured a “gentle, kind-hearted” sales assistant to a remote beauty spot on a date and stabbed him to death has been locked up for a minimum of 24 years. Alex Davies, 18, was murdered in Parbold, Lancashire, by Brian Healless, also 18, after they agreed a rendezvous through the dating app Grindr.

Healless, from Chorley, tried to set up similar outdoor meetings with four other men on Grindr in the days after the killing, Preston crown court heard. He had told Davies, from Skelmersdale, he was “not out yet” and suggested a “discreet spot” halfway between their homes for their first meeting.

The defendant stabbed him 128 times at the top of Parbold Hill and dragged the Home Bargains worker face down by his collar in the mud, while still alive, and covered his body with branches and leaves.

His lawyers attempted to defend his actions claiming Healless was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia but the jury didn’t buy that. Healless was so calculated he took a kitchen knife with him to the rendezvous, stole Davies’ cell phones, and erased their histories. According to reports, he reached out to at least four other men on Grindr after Davies and could have killed them as well, but detectives discussed his identity and stopped him before another attack could happen.

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News Round-Up: March 18, 2020

Me with birthday girl Vanessa Williams
Some news items you might have missed: • Happy Birthday: Bestest birthday wishes to my Syracuse University bestie, Vanessa Williams! V is currently in London where she’s starring in the (currently coronavirus-paused) West End production of the Tony Award-winning musical, City of Angels. The pic above was taken a couple of years ago when I introduced her at the Nevada Ballet Theatre’s ‘Woman of the Year’ event. Always much, much fun to catch up with, I can affirm she’s still ‘saving the best for last.’ • PrideSource: Devon Robinson was charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the spring 2019 shooting deaths of Alunte Davis, Timothy Blancher and Paris Cameron as well as assault with intent to murder two others. Both Davis and Blancher were gay and Cameron was a transgender woman. This week a jury found Robinson guilty of all charges. Prosecutors say Robinson’s actions were an attempt to cover up having taken part in an orgy with the trio. • Instinct Magazine: Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL), the most conservative Democrat in the House, lost his primary race last night to progressive challenger Marie Newman, and LGBTQ folks are cheering. Lipinski has repeatedly voted against LGTBQ rights and protections. He voted “present” for a proposed U.S. constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, voted against an early version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and gave his support to the First Amendment Defense Act, which supported the “religious freedom” movement. #GoodRiddance • Yahoo News: A new survey released Tuesday from NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist polling shows that only 37 percent of those polled have either “a good amount” or “a great deal” of trust in the information they hear from the president about the coronavirus, while 60 percent say they do “not very much” or “not at all” trust Trump’s words on the subject. • KIT212: Kenneth remembers 11 times hunky Lyle Waggoner stole the show on The Carol Burnett Show.
Lyle Waggoner (via kenneth-in-the-212)
• Washington Post: White House officials are working with congressional Republicans on an emergency stimulus package that could send two $1,000 checks to many Americans and also devote $300 billion towards helping small businesses avoid mass layoffs, according to two senior administration officials and a Treasury Department fact sheet. • LGBTQ Nation: Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) voted against the “America First Coronavirus Response Act” this week because he said it “redefined family” by including sick leave to care for an unmarried partner’s children. Biggs went on to say that sick leave for domestic partner’s children has “nothing to do with the coronavirus.” • New York Post: After being found inebriated inside a Miami Beach hotel room with another man who allegedly overdosed on crystal meth, former Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum has announced he is withdrawing from public life and entering rehab for alcohol abuse. • NBC News: By a vote of 90-8 the Senate voted to approve a second coronavirus aid bill Wednesday, paving the way for lawmakers to turn their attention to a third proposal that could include direct payments to Americans. Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law. The bill provides free coronavirus testing, paid emergency leave for those who are infected or caring for a family member with the illness, additional Medicaid funding, food assistance, and unemployment benefits.  

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Jonathan Hernandez: My Brother Came Out To Mom During Prison Visit

Jonathan Hernandez (screen capture)
The New York Post reports Jonathan Hernandez, brother of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, tells Dr. Oz that his brother came out to their mother during a tearful prison visit. In his first TV appearance since the premiere of the Netflix true-crime documentary series Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez, Jonathan says his brother told his mother, Terri Hernandez, he was gay prior to his 2017 suicide. “He’s like, ‘Mom, you’re going to die never knowing your son,’” Hernandez says in the interview scheduled to air today. “My mom being my mom, started mouthing with Aaron, and they started bickering back and forth, and all of a sudden they have this conversation, and they’re both flooded with tears across from each other.” Putting the moment in context, Jonathan adds, “Here’s the weight of what’s on my brother being expressed, and for a mother to be looking at it across from the scratched glass.”

One of the questions Killer Inside explores is whether the fear that kept Aaron’s sexuality hidden might have been a driving force for killing his former friend Odin Lloyd in 2013. Hernandez was serving a life sentence for the crime at the time of his death. Dr. Oz asks Jonathan his thoughts on a possible motive during the interview. “That’s one of the questions and, you know, head-scratchers that they still have regarding really this entire case,” says the brother. “There’s just so many questions regarding everything. And, for me to sit here and say it was this or that, I can’t say. All you can do is look at the evidence that was provided.”

Jonathan Hernandez speaks to Dr. Oz
In another segment, Dr. Oz asks how Hernandez’s father Dennis (who died in 2006) might have responded to Aaron sharing he had ‘conflicting thoughts’ on his sexuality. “I don’t know if he would have been able to finish his sentence,” Jonathan said. “My dad would have thought he could beat that out of him.”

Earlier this week, Aaron’s former fiancee said she didn’t know if he was gay. “If he did feel that way, or if he felt the urge, I wish that I was told,” Shayanna Jenkins told Good Morning America. “I wish that he would have told me because I wouldn’t have loved him any differently. I would have understood. It’s not shameful.” (source: New York Post)

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Podcast: Male Stripper Murders, RuPaul Hosts SNL, Interviews From 2020 GayVN Awards

The Randy Report podcast

The Randy Report podcast delivers the week's top stories in a quick, convenient podcast - 'the 60 Minutes of gay news - only shorter' In this week’s podcast: • Vice President Mike Pence spoke at a church where the ministers compared homosexuality with Satan • HIV infections rates in the UK have declined dramatically since 2012 • Utah bans harmful ‘conversion therapy’ for minors • A male stripper in Atlanta sentenced to prison for killing his secret straight-married lover • Attending the 2020 GayVN Awards (aka ‘the Oscars of gay porn’) I chat with stars Dallas Steele & Brian Davilla • RuPaul announced to host Saturday Night Live • And a new docu-series on Apple TV+ explores how LGBTQ people made our way onto the TV landscape All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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Gay Stripper Gets Life In Prison For Murder Of Secret Lover

William Bradley Morgan (mugshot)
A former dancer at a gay strip club in Atlanta has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his boyfriend. William Bradley Morgan, 37, was convicted on multiple charges including the murder of 43-year-old Brian Campbell, as well as aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, theft by taking, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the two men met at a club in 2015. At the time, both were married to women. Morgan was employed as a dancer at the infamous all-nude Swinging Richards gay nightclub in Atlanta. His estranged wife lived in Alabama. Campbell, an executive for Comcast, lived in Delaware with his wife and children, but business trips brought him to Atlanta frequently. The two men soon became intimate and secretly began living together. But over time Morgan became financially dependent on Campbell. The financial situation, along with Morgan’s addiction to methamphetamines and the secret nature of their relationship eventually led Campbell to consider ending the romance. After spending the day at a racing event on October 1, 2016, Campbell apparently told Morgan he was leaving him.  It was at that point that Morgan shot Campbell twice in the head. Attempting to cover up the murder, he wrapped Morgan in plastic trash bags and hid the body in a closet. Morgan turned the thermostat down and lit a scented candle presumably to conceal the smell. On his way out the door, he stole Campbell’s Land Rover Discovery, two expensive watches, his cell phone, an iPad, his wallet and a handgun. It would be four days until Campbell’s body would be found when his wife contacted authorities filing a missing persons report. His abandoned vehicle was found in Calhoun County, Alabama. Two weeks later, Morgan was arrested in Jacksonville, Alabama, after a standoff with police. After his arrest, he admitted to the secret relationship and stealing Campbell’s belongings, but denied committing the murder. Morgan had previously spent time in prison for aggravated assault and domestic violence. This week, Fulton Superior Court Judge Shawn Ellen LaGrua sentenced Morgan to life in prison.