Man uses "Gay Panic Defense" to get away with murder

[Whateverist]

I blame Zimmerman who started the ridiculous stand your ground craze.

Well .. the law preceded his exploiting it.

[Paraselene]

I blame Zimmerman who started the ridiculous stand your ground craze.

Well .. the law preceded his exploiting it.

Sadly.

[Edwardo Piet]

Gay Panic defense?

More like "Murderous bigot paroxysm".

[Rev. Rye]

I blame Zimmerman who started the ridiculous stand your ground craze.

Actually, Zimmerman's defense was a fairly straightforward self-defense case. His lawyer briefly considered a Stand Your Ground defense, but abandoned it after a week, long before the trial. And he won largely because the events that led up to the shooting were so murky it was impossible to prove whether or not it was an act of self-defense, although his behavior afterward does not paint Zimmerman in a favourable light.

A shove or slap would've been justified. You can't kill someone because they're trying to kiss you. Whatever their gender. I feel like without religion, this would be basic.

Yeah, in High School, I was sexually harrassed by boys, but I knew better than to use it as an excuse to kill them. PROPORTIONATE RESPONSE is the key phrase for such an occurrence. If they're hitting on you, decline their advances. If they persist, get away. IF they pursue you, then maybe physical violence may be justifiable, preferably on the mild side, just enough that they make sure you're not fucking around, in both figurative and literal senses (so, literally).

Only if it gets to this point:



should actual murder be in the cards.

Seriously, this shit should be covered by common sense. Picture what's happening as a movie and instead of a gay man and a straight man, it's a straight man and a woman who's not attracted to him. If, at any point, your plan of action seems out of proportion with what she would do and still regain the audience's sympathy, don't do it in real life.

[The Industrial Atheist]

Murder. What two states don't accept this stupidity? And only two? SMH  I've been hit on by a gay guy or two, and they took "No, I'm not interested" straight off.

The gay stuff seems like a distraction.  If a woman were at a man's house, and he started forcing himself on her a bit, man, I don't know.  Stabbing seems really excessive.  But if she ends up getting raped because she didn't fully resist when she still had the chance, that's also fucked up.  

A tiny 69yo man doesn't have a lot of physical escape options available to him when confronting a 30 something larger guy.  

He was convicted of criminally negligent homicide.  It's a really complicated situation.  Some lesser charge seems like it makes sense given he immediately contacts the authorities?  But maybe it should be murder.  And maybe it should be nothing.  I think I could understand just about any result.

They were at a musicians bar. If he had tried to rape him there would've been multiple witnesses. Sure I understand feeling threatened, but employing a knife is overkill.

[Divinity]

Not shocked to see Republicans defend an actual murderer. They've been defending a sexual assaulter all this time.

[henryp]

The gay stuff seems like a distraction.  If a woman were at a man's house, and he started forcing himself on her a bit, man, I don't know.  Stabbing seems really excessive.  But if she ends up getting raped because she didn't fully resist when she still had the chance, that's also fucked up.  

A tiny 69yo man doesn't have a lot of physical escape options available to him when confronting a 30 something larger guy.  

He was convicted of criminally negligent homicide.  It's a really complicated situation.  Some lesser charge seems like it makes sense given he immediately contacts the authorities?  But maybe it should be murder.  And maybe it should be nothing.  I think I could understand just about any result.

They were at a musicians bar. If he had tried to rape him there would've been multiple witnesses. Sure I understand feeling threatened, but employing a knife is overkill.

Are you sure?  I read it as they were at the dead guys house.  Clearly can't stab someone in public.  No mention of witnesses either.

[The Industrial Atheist]

They were at a musicians bar. If he had tried to rape him there would've been multiple witnesses. Sure I understand feeling threatened, but employing a knife is overkill.

Are you sure?  I read it as they were at the dead guys house.  Clearly can't stab someone in public.  No mention of witnesses either.

You're free to check the OP's link. I suppose it's possible my reading comprehension is off and they were playing at a Musicians bar and later went to the guy's house? But I definitely didn't read that. Not sure how that would be.

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They were at a musicians bar. If he had tried to rape him there would've been multiple witnesses. Sure I understand feeling threatened, but employing a knife is overkill.

Are you sure?  I read it as they were at the dead guys house.  Clearly can't stab someone in public.  No mention of witnesses either.

Oh you're right! It's not the first time I've been wrong.

[henryp]

Yeah, it says "after a night of drinking and music at Spencer's house..." It wasn't very clear the way it was written.