10/24/2006
Army Releases Barry Winchell Murder Conspirator, 5 Years Early
Former Army Specialist Justin Fisher, convicted of conspiracy in the July 1999 murder of PFC Barry Winchell, has been released from prison. Fisher was Winchell's roommate at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and spurred on fellow soldier Calvin Glover to beat Winchell to death one night with a baseball bat after months of anti-gay harassment.
Winchell had been dating a transgender performer named Calpernia Adams whom he met on a trip to a Nashville transgender club with Fisher. Fisher stood by several months later as Glover bludgeoned Winchell to death in a brutal homophobic attack in his sleep.
Fisher had been sentenced to twelve and a half years for his part in the murder. He served only seven.
The story of Winchell's murder was told in the 2003 film Soldier's Girl. Fisher was played by Shawn Hatosy who appears in the clip below, the first eight minutes of Soldier's Girl.
Servicemens Legal Defense Fund (SLDN) executive director C. Dixon Osburn released the following statement:
"Seven years after the murder of PFC Winchell, the military has done little to protect its troops from another Justin Fisher. By the Pentagon's own admission, anti-gay harassment is rampant throughout the forces, yet Pentagon leaders have barely lifted a finger to curb attacks on its own troops. The Department of Defense's anti-harassment plan has not been implemented, its leaders have not been properly trained on dealing with harassment, and its service members are left vulnerable to unchecked homophobia. If military leaders do not take action to properly deal with harassment in the ranks, it is only a matter of time before another anti-gay hate crime occurs on their watch."
Winchell's parents Patricia and Wally Kutteles also reacted to the news:
"Army leaders gave Justin Fisher a shockingly lenient sentence in the first place, but just as importantly, they have also failed, every day since, to protect other soldiers from Barry's fate. As a mother, I never want to see Barry's story repeated. As an American, I am outraged that our leaders have taken no action to make sure it never happens again. The most important step in curbing harassment is ending 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' and sending a strong message that second-class citizenship is not tolerated in a first class military. But, until that happens, Pentagon leaders must, at the very least, step up to the plate and take real steps to protect our troops."
Posted 4:49 PM EST by Andy Towle in Barry Winchell, Crime, Military, News | Permalink
Like it?
Subscribe to FREE Towleroad daily headlines with our RSS feed!
RECENT STORIES:
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
What utter bullshit!
Posted by: Je | Oct 24, 2006 4:57:44 PM
I hope someone ties his dick to a bumber and drags his ass down a gravel road.
Posted by: dw | Oct 24, 2006 5:56:55 PM
he needs a good shovel to the face!
Posted by: Wilson | Oct 24, 2006 5:58:25 PM
anyone have a bat they can spare?
Posted by: dc-20008 | Oct 24, 2006 6:02:14 PM
Former Army Specialist Justin Fisher...in a more "enlightened" age...another candidate for a short drop at the end of a rope.
Posted by: Ted B. (Charging Rhino) | Oct 24, 2006 6:31:04 PM
The movie "Soldier's Girl" was amazing. I cried thru the whole ending. You just can't believe that people would kill each other b'c they fell in love with a person. IN-fucking-credible.
Posted by: devilgirl | Oct 24, 2006 7:37:36 PM
If the movie didn't make me sick enough to my stomach....his release sure does. I guess there truly is no "justice" in military justice.
Posted by: MikeyMike | Oct 24, 2006 9:23:58 PM
Is there anyone looking out for Calpernia Adams?
Hopefully, she's hired on some bodyguards. Fisher may come after her.
Posted by: Tread | Oct 25, 2006 12:15:34 AM
Hearing about this digusting turn in this horrible story kind of makes Reichen's equating receiving a blow job in the Air Force with "rape" all the more shameless.
Posted by: JP | Oct 25, 2006 9:40:41 AM
justin fisher and galvin glover can both both burn in hell and never see day light again.. much love and respect to calpernia adams specially berry winchell
Posted by: luisa diaz | May 29, 2007 3:40:35 AM
hey just to say what happen was uncalled for back in july 7 1999.What justin did was what he wished he could have done to himself or have someone do it for him, i find it odd that the army navy and the others have this hate for gays but when they are hiding there homosexaulity you know they are so as backwards it's not funny. i stillsay that justin fisher should still be in prison for life for what hhe did the guy(barry winchell) was sleep!? but he didn't but in time his will come and it will be 3x wrose than Barry Winchell.
R.I.P.Barry Winchell May god be with you
Posted by: donald | Jun 8, 2008 3:33:07 AM