[Personal Responsibility]

They planned on robbing him in the first place. According to the convict, coming down from Methamphetamine makes you uncontrollably violent. I don't think its a stretch to say that these guys did what they did without regard to Sheppard's sexuality.

Is it possible that they attacked him because he was gay? Sure. Is it possible that they were going to attack him anyway and hit him a few more times because he was gay? Sure. Problem is, they say it was not motivated by Sheppard's sexuality and only they know why they really did what they did.

We cannot know, beyond a reasonable doubt, which parts of the attack were motivated by the victim's sexuality. In the end we are all just guessing.

[Glacier Honey]

A crime is a crime. Yes, people are killed for being gay, a minority, white, children, elderly, religion.....

How do you tell the mother of a child who has been kidnapped, raped and murdered that it is not a hate crime.

To have a more serious penalty for a "hate crime" to me, tells the victims of other murders that their loved one's assailant does not deserve the same punishment.

I think 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree penalties of crime, although not perfect, best fits our judicial system.

[sageb1]

And, if they were looking for an easy target, the guy who is only 5'2" is the one they are going to notice first.