Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Hate Crime in Paradise


A friend sent me an update on the vicious hate crime in St. Maarten that involved my pal Dick Jefferson and his friends. Although I knew it was a brutal attack, I'm not sure the media fully disclosed just how bad it was.

Dick's injuries, obtained by being bashed in the head with a four-prong tire wrench, knocked him unconscious and left him with deep wounds and metal plate in his head. His friend Ryan Smith, 25, is still in ICU with a crushed skull and brain injuries. On top of that, Smith ended up being "outed" to his family in Ohio as a result of this attack, when his boyfriend -- who was not injured but was nearly run over by the assailants -- had to call to inform them about what had happened.

The part of the island where the attack took place is Dutch territory, and the victims and their families are already experience the kind of justice that Natalee Holloway's family has faced for the last year.

  • ABC News has the full report here.
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