Gay veteran has hand and part of arm amputated after brutal attack in North Carolina

[eridani]

Crossposted from LGBT foeum by request

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/13/1344669/-Gay-veteran-has-hand-and-part-of-arm-amputated-after-brutally-attacked-in-North-Carolina

Stephen White is a gay veteran who served in Iraq. This week he is in critical condition after a brutal attack:

Greensboro police say an employee at the Battleground Inn at 1517 Westover Terrace called 911 after hearing a man screaming at the hotel at the same time a fire alarm was activated.

Police and firefighters responded to the hotel at about 4:30 a.m.

White was apparently found naked, robbed and beaten, in addition to his life-threatening injuries from the fire. A friend says White, who served in Iraq and was injured there, has had a hand and part of his arm amputated after injuries sustained in the weekend attack.

White suffered burns on 52% of his body. Gupton is being held by police for assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury with intent to kill.

Equality NC says they will be watching the case closely:

"We do not yet know the full details of this crime, but anytime a person is harmed, especially in such violent fashion, it is a tragedy regardless of circumstances. Equality NC is in communication with the Mayor and the City of Greensboro to determine exactly what happened and make sure that the crime is fully investigated," Chris Sgro, Executive Director of Equality North Carolina said.

[irisblue]

1. I do believe this man died from his injuries

From Army Times, dated 11/18/14...."The City of Greensboro has fired the man charged with murder in connection with the fatal assault of an Army vet at a hotel...... SNIP.....Gupton is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Stephen Patrick White. The 46-year-old veteran died Saturday afternoon, nearly a week after being hospitalized with burns so bad that parts of both arms had to be amputated.
Officials have said it appeared White had been struck with a telephone, television and other small pieces of furniture and that a fire in the hotel room had been intentionally set......SNIP.....Police have said the two met at a bar Nov. 8 and that there was no indication the incident was motivated by the sexuality of the victim." END

[SomethingFishy]

2. The guy survives Iraq and comes home to be killed in a hate crime?

Supporting the troops.

I'm getting really tired of this "country".

[NaturalHigh]

3. What a horrible crime.

People who could do something like this aren't even human.

[irisblue]

4. "no indication the incident was motivated by the sexuality of the victim."

I dropped the last quote from the Army Times article...sorry 'bout that.
not a hate crime? WTF?

[MrScorpio]

5. I think that this is why the authorities are declining to charge with a hate crime:

Garry Joseph Gupton, 26, a Greensboro city employee, has been charged with aggravated assault with intent to kill in connection with the attack. Police spokeswoman Susan Danielsen said there is no indication the incident was motivated by the sexuality of the victim, Stephen Patrick White, 46.

"We believe this was a consensual encounter between the two of them, and at some point Mr. Gupton began acting incredibly irrational," Danielsen said.

-skip-

Robert Porter, a bartender at Chemistry, said Gupton told him he'd been experimenting with men since he was 19, and it had taken about a month and a half to work up the courage to enter the bar.

White and Gupton left together in a cab around closing time, bartender Jim Olive said.

"I walked them towards the door and I asked Garry, I said, 'So, are you going to hang with my friend Steve tonight?'" Olive said. "And he said, 'Yes.' And I said, 'Well, I like Steve a lot. Be nice to him.'"

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-carolina-man-accused-in-attack-on-veteran-met-at-bar/

If, in fact, Gupton has been engaged in same sex experimentation, then that would explain the reasons behind declining a hate crime charge.

Aside from that, I'd suppose that Gupton is quite possibly mentally ill.

[irisblue]

6. Thanks Mr Scorpio

I didn't know bout that part.

[MrScorpio]

7. However, if I were the prosecutor, I'd verify if Gupton is, in fact, bi-curious

Just in case he's lying about it to escape the hate crime charge.

[UglyGreed]

8. This is just

sickening.