Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyFebruary 27th, 2009
Joseph Bearden, right, reacts to the verdict. (Ernst Peters/The Ledger)
Joseph Bearden, 21, has been found guilty on all counts stemming from the death of Ryan Skipper and was sentenced to life imprisonment today. After nearly two days of deliberation, a Florida jury found Bearden guilty of second degree murder, theft of a motor vehicle, accessory after the fact to robbery with a weapon, tampering with evidence, and dealing in stolen property.
Bearden was being tried for first-degree murder, But with the guilty verdict for second degree murder, Bearden was spared a possible death penalty. Judge J. Michael Hunter told Bearden that he believed he killed Ryan because he way gay. While the judge gave him the maximum penalty for second degree murder, Bearden will nevertheless be eligible for parole in twenty-five years.
Bearden’s codefendent, William David Brown, Jr., 20, will be tried separately at a later date.
In March 2007, Ryan’s body was found by the side of a rural Florida road with more than 20 stab wounds and his throat slashed. Police allege that Brown and Bearden killed Ryan and stole his car. A witness testified that Brown killed Ryan because he was gay. After finding it impossible to clean up the blood in the car to sell it, Brown and Bearden set it on fire. But because it didn’t fully burn, investigators were able to obtain fingerprints from the car.
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Jason D
February 28th, 2009
This is the sort of thing that makes me wonder if gay people should be armed, have license to carry a concealed weapon(in states where it’s legal), especially when we’re alone.
I’m not a fan of guns, I don’t own one, but I wonder how much the tide would turn if gays had a reputation for gunning down would-be attackers.
It’s just so sad.
Regan DuCasse
February 28th, 2009
There tends to be such ironic contradictions when it comes to discussions about gay people with the anti gay.
They’ll make broad generalized statements about what a danger to society gay people are, but there AREN’T armed robberies, casual violence, nor roving GANGS of gay people who set themselves upon unsuspecting straight folks.
It’s REMARKABLE really in any criminal databases, how few violent encounters there are involving gay on straight attacks.
There are intra gay domestic violence issues, and VERY few of them result in homicide.
There are even less that involve a gay parent to such extremes.
And even less involving gay related sex crimes and children.
Sex crimes that involve gay on straight ADULTS are virtually NON EXISTENT.
However, hetero males between ages 13 on up have proven themselves to be extremely dangerous in the violent sex crimes category for females ages infancy on up.
Yet, I recently argued with a man at TH claiming to be in forensics (where and what specialty he didn’t specify), differed supposedly from his personal experience with abstract statistics.
Some of which had nothing to do with CRIME, but the CDC and HIV/AIDS infection rates.
I suspected, and I’m more sure now than ever, that his experience was flavored with GRAVITAS more than facts.
I have been wondering since carrying concealed or wearing a side arm is legal in most states, why we DON’T hear that more gay people ARE armed.
Perhaps it’s because a person who uses a firearm rightfully in their own protection isn’t a tragedy for the press to be interested in. Especially if simple wielding it averts attack and if the orientation of the person might figure in legitimate claims of self defense.
L. Junius Brutus
February 28th, 2009
“This is the sort of thing that makes me wonder if gay people should be armed, have license to carry a concealed weapon(in states where it’s legal), especially when we’re alone.”
Absolutely. Everyone who can get a concealed carry license should get one. Especially gays, women and minorities. Here’s where rigid ideology sometimes gets in the way of people’s protection.
“I’m not a fan of guns, I don’t own one, but I wonder how much the tide would turn if gays had a reputation for gunning down would-be attackers.”
Caligula put it very well: “Let them hate us, as long as they fear us.”
meneame.net
February 28th, 2009
Sentencian a cadena perpetua a joven estadounidense que mató a puñaladas a un estudiante homosexual [EN]…
Tras dos dÃas de deliberación Joseph Bearden, acusado de matar a Ryan Skipper en marzo del 2007, fue encontrado culpable y sentenciado a cadena perpetua, sin ser elegible para salir bajo palabra en al menos 25 años. Un segundo acusado, William Brown…
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