Posted on 11/04/2007 4:22:57 PM PST by Libloather
Indicted in beating of gay couple
Saturday, November 03, 2007
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
UNION CITY - Two former employees of a Burger King on Bergenline Avenue have been indicted on hate crime charges in connection with the vicious beating of a same-sex couple outside the restaurant earlier this year, officials said yesterday.
Angel Caraballo, 28, of Duncan Avenue, and Christopher Soto of Prospect Street, both of Jersey City, were charged with aggravated assault and a first-degree hate crime in connection with the July 22 beating, officials said. The hate crime offense carries a possible sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison.
The two victims, Union City men in their early 40s, were in the Burger King, on the 3500 block of Bergenline, when they asked someone behind the counter for a refund for an item that was not available, officials said.
One employee allegedly asked the other who was asking for the refund and he replied with a derogatory term for a homosexual, according to a news release issued by the gay rights advocacy group Garden State Equality.
The couple left the restaurant, but a group of Burger King employees followed them outside, where "they beat them mercilessly," while repeating anti-gay slurs, the news release says.
"Even in New Jersey, arguably the most progressive state in the country, a state we call the state that doesn't hate, too many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people live in fear," said Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality.
The victims are represented by Nutley lawyer James F. Fine and River Edge lawyer Joseph Donahue. Burger King officials could not immediately be reached for comment last night, nor could the defendants' attorneys.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
What are the different degrees of hate crimes? Anyone?
...the state that doesn't hate...
That has ZERO truth to it.
I’ve read that the Romans used hate crimes to persecute Christians. Sorry no source.
But "hate crime"? Barbra Streisand!!!!
All beatings should be treated equally. What the heck difference does it make if they are gay or straight?
Throw them in jail for life. I don’t care if it’s a hate crime they are charged with or simple A&B. Put them in jail, and throw away the key.
Life? C'mon! Although the piece doesn't specify the extent of the injuries suffered one can assume,I think,that the victims were never at death's doorstep or close to it.
IMO...if you're talking bloody noses...each perp should get a year's probation.Broken bones.....3 months in the slammer.Long hospital stay...at least a couple of years in the slammer.More serious injuries....5,10 or more years.If either victim dies....fry them.
I'm jazzed about all that but what is a third degree hate crime? Kicking your dog?
Hate crimes come in degree’s?
Interesting to see that a “first degree hate crime” carries with it a stiffer penalty than fag crimes such as abduction of male children, buggery of male children, prostitution of malechildren.
note that these are fag crimes. “Straight” Pedophiles exploit female children.
When a society accepts abnormal, deviant sexual behavior as “normal”, and those that speak out against such sick, perverted, disgusting behavior of those who belong to groups such as the man boy love association are charged with “hate crimes”, when people pleading for moral decency are labeled as “haters”, you know this society has decayed to the point of no return
I was thinking the other that our detractors must be using the Fall of the Roman Empire as their guide in destroying America.
Who cares? I just want to know if a "hate crime" has ever been challenged in the Federal courts and,if so,how far did the case get and exactly how did the decision read?
All assaults are a result of someone not liking someone else for one reason or another. Why does beating up a fag vs beating up someone who looked at you the wrong way deserve a a stiffer penalty?
Is there such a thing as a love crime?
Gay democrats are working on a bill to outlaw heterosexual marriages and raising children in that type of environment illegal, so the answer to that may soon be yes.
In your previous life, you was known as the "Hangin' Dude", weren't ya?
A&B does not = a life sentence.
Maybe if you do it every week or something, but not this case.
Maybe one would feel like that if one was on the dark side?
Why would you put a life sentence on the perp's for this incident?
Just a thought.
You’re missing the point here. some people alawys hit these threads with “execute ‘em all” attitudes and it doesn’t matter what for. “Just execute all the convicts” is pretty common too. Of course when someone with that attitude is arrested they magically morph into civil libertarians.
As for Garden Stare Equality Group calling NJ the state that doesn't hate...well I live here & I sure hate that group. All they do is push their gay agenda on schools.
First, prove they were happy, then, argue it was an anti-gay crime.
There is more to this story than is published here.
I’ve seen surly fast food employees, but I’ve never heard of them leaving their posts just to beat the crap out of a customer.
I can’t say what it is, but this is not the complete story.
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