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365 Gay: News
Suspect arrested in horrific PR hate crime; NYC vigil planned
, editor in chief, 365gay.com
11.17.2009 9:44am EST
11.17.2009 9:44am EST
A suspect has been arrested in the Puerto Rico murder and decapitationReport by Christopher Pagan.: of gay teenager Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado, according to a
The
main suspect of the cruel murder of a young homosexual found in the
area of Guavate Cayey, was arrested this morning and shall be taken to
a judge today to face charges, confirmed the press of the Puerto Rico
Police, Damaris Periera.
She also indicted that two vehicles were
taken into custody, and that there is a crime scene as well under
police custody in the town of Cayey.
Pagan says that the FBI is now also involved and back2Stonewall says that the FBI is investigating the murder as a hate crime. Other
reports from around the web say the suspect may have offered the victim
money for sex.
Says the Associated Press in the first mainstream media coverage we’ve seen:
Police
say they have arrested a suspect in the slaying of a teenager whose
decapitated remains were found along a road in southern Puerto Rico.
Police
commandant Eliezer Colon says the man was detained at his home early
Tuesday morning. The suspect has not been identified because he has not
been formally charged.
The burned and dismembered body of
19-year-old Jorge Steven Lopez was discovered Friday in a wooded area
of the town of Cayey. Authorities are looking into whether he may have
been targeted because he was gay.
Activist Pedro Julio Serrano
called on authorities to treat the case as a hate crime if the
investigation shows Lopez was killed because of his sexual orientation.
There will be a vigil at 8 p.m. Sunday in New York City . Americablog is calling on people to email Attorney General Eric Holder to ensure the murder is prosecuted as a hate crime.