Puerto Rico is on fire right now after the ongoing press about slain gay teen Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado. For those not familiar with the story, news broke after the decapitated, dismembered, and partially charred body of Jorge was found by the side of a road in Puerto Rico. Then the shit really hit the fan after the police investigator on the case suggested that he deserved what he got because of the "type of lifestyle" he was leading. Shortly after this sad ordeal, Jorge's killer was nabbed. As of now, Juan Martinez Matos has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held on $4 million dollars bail. Damn this dude better come from money, otherwise he'll be in jail for a mighty long time (which this animal should be kept).
According to Associated Press, "Martinez met Lopez while looking for women Thursday night in an area known for prostitution, according to prosecutor Jose Bermudez Santos. Bermudez said the suspect confessed to stabbing Lopez, who was dressed as a woman, after discovering he was a man. 'He has a deep-seated rage,' Bermudez said in remarks reported by the newspaper El Nuevo Dia. 'All the information we have is very clear that this is indeed a hate crime,' said Pedro Julio Serrano, a Puerto Rico native who is a spokesman for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. A 2002 hate crime law in this U.S. territory has not been applied to any cases involving sexual orientation or gender identity despite calls to use it more aggressively, Serrano said. A suspect convicted of a hate crime offense as part of another crime automatically faces the maximum penalty for the underlying crime. For murder, that would be life in prison. Serrano said he has identified at least 10 slayings on the island over the last seven years that should have been investigated as hate crimes, including some in which the victims were sex workers. Two U.S. Congress members from New York, who are of Puerto Rican origin, have suggested prosecuting the case under new federal hate crimes legislation that extended coverage to sexual orientation. President Barack Obama signed it last month. The FBI is monitoring the investigation, and Lymarie Llovet Ayala, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in San Juan, said Wednesday that federal prosecutors are considering whether to take on the case."
Also according to CNN: "In addition to murder, Martinez Matos was charged with three weapons violations and one count of hiding evidence, prosecutor Yaritza Carrasquillo said. Prosecutors are weighing whether to recommend that Martinez Matos be charged under federal hate crimes law, Carrasquillo said. That decision was not expected to come Wednesday."
This is dispicable and measures need to be taken to insure that this type of thing does not happen to anyone of any sexual orientation. I am hearing too much about discrimination against gays and seriously this shit needs to stop!
Sidebar: Lopez was widely known as a volunteer for organizations advocating HIV prevention and gay rights, and activists are planning remembrance vigils for him in cities including San Juan, New York and Chicago. So if anyone is interested, vigils are being planned across the nation for this Sunday, November 22.
In New York City a vigil will be held at Pier 45 followed by optional mass at 5:00 pm. In L.A. - 8PM, Santa Monica and San Vicente. In Oakland - 3:30PM, MacArthur and Lakeshore/Grand Ave. In San Francisco - 7PM, Castro and Market. this is all the locations I have as of now, but the more I hear, I will definitely keep you guys posted.
No comments:
Post a Comment