Posts Tagged ‘Tony Randolph Hunter’
The Death of Tony Hunter
On the books, it’s “Voluntary Manslaughter.” To activists, it’s a “Hate Crime.”
D.C. didn’t know much about Tony Randolph Hunter when police found his body, “lying supine on the ground” with a “laceration on the back of his head,” near Shaw’s BeBar on the night of Sept. 7. When police initially classified the 37-year-old Maryland man’s beating as a potential hate crime, they did so based on the few details they could ascertain about the victim: who he was and where he was going. The assailants, police reasoned, may have been acting on the same basic information—that Hunter was gay and headed to a gay bar—in an attack that had no immediately apparent motive.
In police reports, descriptions of suspects similarly lack specifics. In the case of Tony Hunter, the report identified the suspects as four black males between the ages of 19 and 22, dressed in blue jeans and T-shirts. Other recent attacks against gays produce similar descriptors. In the July 13 beating of Todd Metrokin, the assailants were described as black men between the ages of 17 and 21. In a Sept. 27 incident in Dupont, a gay couple dodged the word “faggot”—and a heaved brick—from a black man they later identified as a security guard at the Metropole.
Hate Crime Victim Speaks Out On Hunter Case
Two organizers of the newly reformed advocacy group GLOV (Gays and Lesbians Opposed to Violence) have issued a press release questioning MPD’s handling of the Tony Randolph Hunter case. GLOV representatives Todd Metrokin (himself a recent victim of a brutal beating) and Chris Farris (who first brought Metrokin’s assault to attention in a posting on thenewgay.net), wrote today that GLOV is “concerned about the path the city’s case seems to be taking.” [Earlier today, the Washington Blade published new information about the story of the suspect charged in the case, Robert Hannah].
Metrokin and Farris list five outstanding questions they have with the city’s handling of the case, including the police’s change of the classification of the crime from “robbery” to “altercation” and the lack of charges filed against a second victim in the attack:
1) The police report classifed this as a bias crime based on sexual orientation, It also stated robbery was a motive, and listed a cellphone, car keys, and cash that was stolen. Now, the police claim that this was an “altercation.” Why the change?
2) The arrest warrant identifies two witnesses who claim that there was a sexual advance that preceded the attack. One is the defendent, and the other is someone who knows him. Is that all they have? The charge – voluntary manslaugher, instead of murder – seems to be based on this account (otherwise, it would be at least second-degree murder). Why would a case precede on that testimony, which is obviously suspect? The arrest warrant identifies another witness who confirms the second victim’s account, so it is baffling as to why the version put forth by the defendant and his friend seems to be guiding this case.
3) Why have no charges been filed in the attack on the second victim? The police report clearly indicates that there was a second vicitm with bruises.
4) Why hasn’t the DA’s office contacted the second vicitm, either about charges in his case or as a witness in Tony Hunter’s case?
5) Why have charges been filed against only one suspect, when the police report says there were 4, as does the second victim?
Full press release after the jump.
Tony Hunter Case: What Makes a Hate Crime?
On Wednesday, 18-year-old Robert Hanna was arrested in relation to the September death of Tony Randolph Hunter. Hanna is being charged with voluntary manslaughter in the death of Hunter, a gay man, but some community members are more concerned with a charge that hasn’t been levied against Hanna: “Hate crime.” The Sept. 7 attack on Hunter—along with several other recent acts of violence against gays—has galvanized D.C. GLBT activists, many of whom are referring to the incident as a “hate crime“—even as D.C. Police classify it otherwise.
In a Wednesday press conference, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy Lanier stated that as far as MPD and the U.S. Attorney’s Office is concerned, the Hunter case is not a hate crime. In a statement, Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit (GLLU) Community Outreach Specialist Matt Ashburn wrote, “Of particular interest to members of the GLBT community, Chief Lanier stated the case was thoroughly reviewed by prosecutors at the United States Attorney’s Office and there is no evidence to support a hate crime enhancement.”
Lanier also noted that investigators in the case have ruled out another suspected motive: robbery. MPD is now describing the events leading to Hunter’s death simply as an “altercation between Mr. Hunter and Mr. Hanna.”
But with the robbery motive abandoned, how is it decided whether or not an “altercation” is motivated by hate?
Tony Hunter Suspect Robert Hannah Arrested
18-year-old Robert Hannah was arrested yesterday in relation to the death of Tony Randolph Hunter. Last week, D.C. police secured an arrest warrant charging Hannah with Voluntary Manslaughter in Hunter’s death. The case is still not classified as a hate crime, police say. According to a press release:
Of particular interest to members of the GLBT community, Chief Lanier stated the case was thoroughly reviewed by prosecutors at the United States Attorneys Office and there is no evidence to support a hate crime enhancement. Furthermore, Chief Lanier indicated the initial suspected motive of robbery was eventually determined by investigators to not be correct and that the death of Mr. Hunter resulted from an altercation between Mr. Hunter and Mr. Hanna, during which Mr. Hunter suffered injuries which lead to his death.
Mr. Hanna will be presented in the District of Columbia Superior Court, at which time a judge will determine if he will be released or jailed pending the judicial process.
Note: I’ve seen different spellings of the suspect’s name, re: Hanna/Hannah, from MPD documents. Will update when I get word from MPD.
Full statement after the jump.
MPD on Hunter Case: Not Hate Crime
From MPD spokesperson Traci Hughes, on the Tony Randolph Hunter case:
Members of the Homicide Branch are aggressively investigating this crime and will explore all potential motivations. MPDC’s primary concern is to bring closure to Mr Hunter’s family and friends by identifying and bringing to justice the person(s) responsible for his death.
There is nothing to indicate at this time that this crime was motivated by hate or bias. Anyone with information is encouraged to call 1-888-919-CRIM(E), or text message to 50-411.
Update: Matt W. Ashburn of MPD’s Special Liaison Unit chimes in to note that the “crime is NOT classified as a hate/bias crime.”
