Feds charge Springtown Texas man with anti-gay hate crime in brutal beating (Graphic Warning)

[TexasTowelie]

Arron Keahey


Brice Johnson

Federal authorities have charged a Springtown man with a hate crime for brutally beating a gay man he met online in September, the Dallas Morning News reports.

Brice Johnson, 19, is charged with “causing bodily injury to a person because of the actual or perceived sexual orientation of that person,” the FBI’s Dallas division said in a release Thursday.

Johnson faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, in addition to any state criminal penalties. He is charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. It’s unclear why Johnson isn’t being prosecuted for a hate crime under Texas law, which could result in the charge being enhanced to a first-degree felony punishable by life in prison. The FBI and the Parker County District Attorney’s Office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Johnson is accused of brutally assaulting 24-year-old Arron Keahey after the pair communicated on the app MeetMe.com and agreed to meet at Johnson’s house in Springtown, northwest of Fort Worth.

From the FBI:

According to the affidavit filed with the criminal complaint, in the early morning hours of September 2, 2013, the adult male victim, identified as A.K., connected with Johnson through the cell phone application for MeetMe.com. A.K.’s MeetMe.com page indicated he was a gay man, while Johnson’s page indicated he was not gay. During their communications, Johnson said that he was interested in engaging in sexual activity with A.K. He invited A.K. to his home, gave A.K. his cell phone number and address, and they exchanged text messages planning their sexual activity.

After A.K. showed up at the house, Johnson severely beat him, then put him into the trunk of A.K.’s car and drove him to a friend’s home. Based on ligature marks on A.K.’s wrists, it appears that he was bound with an electrical cord while he was in the trunk of the car. Individuals at the home told Johnson to take A.K. to the hospital or they would call the police, and Johnson eventually drove the victim to an Emergency Medical Services station in Springtown.

A.K. was hospitalized for 10 days in Fort Worth, and he was diagnosed and treated for multiple skull and facial fractures. The investigation revealed that on the night of the incident, Johnson saved A.K.’s cell phone number using a gay slur as a contact name, and Johnson later stated that he was playing a prank on the victim because of his sexual orientation, again using a gay slur when referring to A.K. According to the affidavit, A.K. said that he had no physical contact with Johnson prior to the attack.

More at http://www.lonestarq.com/breaking-fbi-charges-springtown-man-anti-gay-hate-crime-brutal-beating-arron-keahey/ .

Cross-posted in the LGBT Group.