Crime

Oh, Florida. Fort Lauderdale’s ABC affiliate reports: Attorneys argued in court Monday over whether the penis of a South Florida man accused of killing his girlfriend should be shown to the jury in his murder trial. Richard Patterson, 65, of Margate, is charged with second-degree murder in the choking death of his girlfriend, Francisca Marquinez, 60, in 2015. Jury selection …

West Virginia’s MetroNews reports: In a 3-2 opinion issued Tuesday, the state Supreme Court has upheld a lower court decision that dismissed hate crime charges against former Marshall University football player Steward Butler. In arguments before the Court last month, Cabell County Assistant Prosecutor Lauren Plymale said Cabell County Circuit Judge Paul Farrell was wrong when he dismissed the charges …

Deutsche Welle reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said he supports an investigation into the reported torture and murder of gay men in Chechnya, days after German Chancellor Angela Merkel pressed him on the issue. Putin said he would personally ask the chief prosecutor and the interior minister to cooperate with human rights ombudswoman Tatyana Moskalkova in an investigation …

Posted this morning by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen people hurting themselves and others on Facebook — either live or in video posted later. It’s heartbreaking, and I’ve been reflecting on how we can do better for our community. If we’re going to build a safe community, we need to respond quickly. We’re working …

The Associated Press reports: An Idaho man who pleaded guilty to a hate crime for his role in the death of a gay man has been sentenced to 28 years in prison. Kelly Schneider, 23, was sentenced in federal court Thursday in connection with last year’s death of Steven Nelson, KTVB-TV reported. The sentence for the hate crime charge of …

The Washington Times reports: The North Texas headquarters of televangelist Benny Hinn was raided this week by U.S. Postal Service inspectors and IRS criminal investigators, according to local news reports. The search began about 9 a.m. Wednesday at Mr. Hinn’s Grapevine offices and continued Thursday morning, NBC 5 reported. The station reported seeing a large number of federal agents walking …

Newsweek reports: He [Hernandez] was convicted in April 2015 for shooting and killing his friend, Odin Lloyd, seemingly without motive. But interviews with multiple law enforcement officials directly involved in the case say Lloyd—a semipro football player who was dating Hernandez’s fiance’s sister at the time—had information the football star did not want out: that he was bisexual. One of …

Even though gays don’t exist there? Gay Star News reports: Chechnya’s president has vowed to ‘eliminate’ all gay men by the end of May. Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Chechen Republic, threatened to rid the area of homosexuality ‘by Ramadan’. Ramadan, Islam’s holy month, begins on 26 May this year. Speaking to Gay Star News, a Foreign and Commonwealth Office …

Radio Free Europe reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman sought to downplay evidence of a campaign of abuse targeting gay men in Chechnya, saying the Kremlin has “heard no confirmation” of reports that have prompted outrage in the West. Speaking to journalists on April 20, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin has no reason to doubt regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s …

GoErie.com reports: Erie police have confirmed the suicide in Erie on Tuesday of Steve Stephens, the Cleveland resident suspected of fatally shooting a Cleveland man on Sunday and posting video of the slaying on Facebook. Stephens died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound while driving a white Ford Fusion near Buffalo Road and Downing Avenue around 11:10 a.m., police said. State …

Via press release: We continue to be disturbed by reports of kidnapping, torture, and murder of people in Chechnya based on their sexual orientation and those persecuted by association. If true, this violation of human rights cannot be ignored – Chechen authorities must immediately investigate these allegations, hold anyone involved accountable, and take steps to prevent future abuses. We are …

The New York Daily News reports: Pandemonium erupted at Penn Station Friday after Amtrak police used a stun gun on an unruly man — sending scared riders scrambling for safety. The transit hub was unusually crowded at rush hour thanks to an NJ Transit train that stalled in a tunnel earlier, causing massive delays to kick off the holiday weekend. …

PAGING NIKKI HALEY. PAGING REX TILLERSON. The Associated Press reports: In the face of growing international concern about reported detentions and killings of homosexuals in Chechnya, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman says the Kremlin does not have confirmed information about the matter. The respected Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported this month that police in the predominantly Muslim republic rounded up …

The New York Times reports: United Nations experts demanded on Thursday that Chechnya halt the abduction, detention, beating and killing of gay and bisexual men, after weeks of reports about violent repression there. “These are acts of persecution and violence on an unprecedented scale in the region and constitute serious violations of the obligations of the Russian Federation under international …

Toronto City News reports: “God says it best. Homosexuality is a sin.” Those are the first few lines of a homophobic letter sent to Toronto City Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam’s office on Wednesday morning. The letter is riddled with derogatory language describing gay people, with one line reading, “Now with the police not at your f*g parade, it makes it easy …

Via press release: The Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus denounced reports of hundreds gay men being arrested, detained, and tortured in Chechnya, an autonomous, predominantly Muslim subject of Russia. Additional reports indicate that several of the detained individuals have been murdered in custody. On April 10th 2017, Representatives Cicilline and Lowenthal led a bipartisan letter of 50 Members of Congress urging …

BOOM. The Florida Times-Union reports: In a matter of an hour, a jury of three men and nine women found Kenneth Adkins guilty Monday of eight child molestation-related charges stemming from his sexual relationship with a teenage girl and boy at his church seven years ago. The controversial, anti-gay pastor showed no emotion as the verdict was read. He will …

Via press release: Today, GLAAD – the world’s LGBTQ media advocacy organization, called on Nikki Haley, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, to condemn the attacks on LGBTQ men by the Chechen government and investigate reports of possible imprisonment of LGBTQ people in concentration camps because of their perceived sexual orientation. GLAAD’s call to action follows reports which surfaced …

Crime Russia reports: The LGBT people who fled from repressions in Chechnya said there are two secret prisons for illegal detentions of offenders, as well as drug addicts and LGBT people who the Chechen government see as an issue, according to the Svoboda ratio station. The raid began in December of 2016, not February of 2017 as earlier reported, according …

Yesterday the State Department called on Russia to investigate reports that Chechen police are rounding up and murdering gay men. Tonight the State Department has issued a second statement: We are increasingly concerned about the situation in the Republic of Chechnya, where there have been numerous credible reports indicating the detention of at least 100 men on the basis of …