Trial Begins in Florida in Ryan Keith Skipper Murder Case
Testimony began yesterday in the murder trial against Joseph Bearden, one of two defendants in the 2007 murder of Ryan Keith Skipper. Bearden, then 21, and William David Brown Jr., then 20, were indicted in 2007 on charges of first degree murder and robbery with a deadly weapon. If convicted, both could face the death penalty.
Skipper's body was found by the side of a rural road in central Florida with more than 20 stab wounds. His car and laptop had been stolen. The car was abandoned and recovered by authorites, who reported that the assailants had attempted to set it on fire but did not succeed. They had also cut out a seat belt because it was so bloody they couldn't clean it.
A witness told investigators in March 2007 that Skipper's sexuality was the motive.
The Ledger reports: "Investigators have said Bearden made derogatory remarks to others about Skipper's being gay. But in opening statements, prosecutors focused on the robbery of Skipper as the motive for the killing. Wearing a black suit, Bearden conferred quietly with his two lawyers. During opening statements, defense lawyers hinted Bearden would take the witness stand. Since his arrest, Bearden has gotten numerous tattoos. A teardrop appeared to drip from his right eye. Large markings decorate the areas above and below his left eye. Others peeked out from the collar and cuffs of his gray dress shirt. Assistant State Attorney Cass Castillo told jurors Skipper was killed on a dark, secluded stretch of rural roadway. The prosecutor noted some of Skipper's blood was left behind inside his car. But the largest amount was on the roadway, showing the most severe injuries were inflicted outside the vehicle, Castillo said. Skipper's wounds included deep cuts to both sides of his neck, and multiple stab wounds to his shoulder and back, he said. After the killing, Bearden and Brown drove away in Skipper's vehicle, Castillo said. He said fingerprints found on the car included Skipper's, Bearden's and Brown's."
Pat and Lynn Mulder, Skipper's parents, have been outspoken about anti-gay hate crimes since their son's death. They recorded a PSA and also submitted a question to the YouTube debate during the presidential campaign that was not made part of the debate.
Watch both clips, AFTER THE JUMP...
Background
Pat and Lynn Mulder Take Spotlight to Fight Hate Crimes [tr]
Parents of Hate Crime Victim Submit YouTube Debate Question [tr]
Florida Hate Crime Vigils Held for Gay Murder Victim [tr]
Florida Men Indicted for Murder of Gay Man [tr]
Two Held in Brutal Murder of Gay Florida Man [tr]
Posted Feb. 17,2009 at 10:26 AM EST by Andy Towle in Crime, Florida, News, Ryan Keith Skipper | Permalink
The Matt Sheppard Act has done nothing!
Let's be honest here, gay people don't really deserve any better than they are getting.
Posted by: Marc | Feb 17, 2009 11:54:43 AM
Horrible. These two bastards must get the death penaltyor life inmprisonment.
Posted by: nikko | Feb 17, 2009 11:56:04 AM
What a moron. In prison having that tear tattoo means you've killed someone. I mean, obviously he did, but maybe he could have waited to add that particular piece of body art.
Posted by: Paul R | Feb 17, 2009 12:50:05 PM
Hmmmmmm, I dunno if they're going to get life in prison or the death penalty. If it were a straight victim they'd killed, without question...but florida is a hotbed of homophobia.
If they get a slap on the wrist, justice hasn't been served...and, maybe, taking it works. Besides, these guys are trash...you'd be doing all a favor by giving them the death penalty.
Posted by: TANK | Feb 17, 2009 3:08:11 PM
The fact that the victim died during the commission of a robbery is what makes the crime punishable by death. That would be so if he was murdered or died of a heart attack during the robbery.
Posted by: lael | Feb 17, 2009 4:50:41 PM
I've been watching this on TruTV - formerly Court TV. After hearing the opening statements from both the prosecution and defense lawyers I'm not totally sure this was a hate crime. Skipper DID go to the crack house where these guys left with him to get money for drugs. They thought he was a cop, even asked for id. Most everybody, except Skipper, had been doing meth. They wanted Skipper's new car so they could sell it for more drug money. His laptop was already broken. So far this seems more like a METH crime than a hate crime. His sexuallity wasn't mentioned until AFTER the murder had been committed.
I just think that if we all yell HATE CRIME every time a LGBT person gets victimized, we'll never get this passed as a federal law.
I do feel badly for Skipper and his family, but sometimes murder is just murder.
Posted by: Scot | Feb 18, 2009 2:59:08 AM
Are you kiddin me.In the Bible days,gays were stoned to death.God has never blessed a nation that supports such acts,and He never will.
Posted by: southern bell | Feb 24, 2009 4:06:24 PM
What really gets me is a while back,a 14 year old little boy was raped by two gays,after these boys shoved things in this little boy,they went in the kitchen to fix a sandwich!Nothing was said about these gays.The media wont touch it.You cant find it on the net.They should hang them on main street.
Posted by: southern bell | Feb 24, 2009 4:11:33 PM
Some of your comments are really scary. Southern Bell, prejudice and hatred wrapped in Christianity is still prejudice and hatred. I hope that someday you learn that love and respect is more important than Bible thumping. Marc, you just need to grow up or you may be the next one on trial for a hate crime. Bearden got what he deserved.
Posted by: Craig | Mar 2, 2009 1:19:39 PM
OMG!!! Not again. I am a 47 yo white gay man vacationing in the Tampa area and just stumbled across this story, heard nothing about it at home in Southern Calif.
This sshit makes me soooo mad I could spit nails. First Matthew, now Ryan.
Look at the two PUNKS, the BICHES on trial for his gruesome murder, wearing nice suits, with dress shirts and ties, the damned gutter scum, they never wore clothing like that in their entire parasite lives, put them and others like them on trial in the gang attire they are used to wearing in the sewers where they exist. One can't help but notice the Satanic tattoos they have on them, they are devil worshipers, white supremacists, they HATE all none-whites and those that embrace alternative lifestyles. Only associate with other skin head Nazi wannabees that do drugs and are disgustingly tattooed and pierced like they are. Of course, their parents, who are probably also doing time in state or federal prisons, are ultimately to blame. They and humans like them, should have been and should be sterilized at birth so they cannot reproduce.
Horrible that Florida has NO BALLZ, and only gave the one piece o sshit LIFE instead of the gas chamber, electric chair or a good hanging, and that is what the other BICH, the other PUNK deserves as well, nothing less. I would be the first to volunteer to go and flip the switch and I would laugh myself silly while they were twitching and slowly dying. Skippy didn't get life, he got the DEATH PENALTY, society is so anal to look at this in any other light.
Too bad they didn't come after me instead, the outcome would definitely have been different.
One can only hope and pray that the other parasites, sewer Rats in prison, kill them just like they did Jeffrey Dahmer. But sadly, from my research, those scum look at child molesters as the worst of criminals, worse than what they themselves do...rape, drugs and murder, so these two will probably be idolized. Maybe they will be raped by their new prison Daddies.
Sad society we live in.
Sad also, that no matter how much, how loud, and how long we cry for equality, we will NEVER see it, at least not in the next few hundred years or in our lifetimes.
I could go on and on, however, I feel I made my point.
Ryan......Matthew.......all the others that have not received national notoriety, we love you, we miss you, you did not die in vain, and will always be remembered.
We shall carry on the fight in your names until the day we win the battle.
Eric from So Cal.
(SevenMay2009(at)Yahoo)
Posted by: Eric | Oct 2, 2009 2:42:41 PM
To the family and friends of Ryan.......
We offer our most heartfelt sympathy.
Your lives have been so horribly changed forever due to this nightmare.
Know that Ryan is with the Lord and is smiling as we speak, for he now knows true happiness and love as well as eternal peace and salvation.
Yours in the Lord,
Eric
Posted by: Eric | Oct 2, 2009 3:15:30 PM
the largest amount was on the roadway, showing the most severe injuries were inflicted outside the vehicle, Castillo said. Skipper's wounds included deep cuts to both sides of his neck, and multiple stab wounds to his shoulder and back.
Posted by: automotive tools | Sep 9, 2010 4:02:28 AM
Yet my friends Dan and Kevin, together for twenty years and who just saw each other through a heart attack and cancer,-- well, civil unions are good enough.
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