The other day I linked to a story posted on Andres Duques' blog Blabbeando about outrage in Vigo, Spain over the murders of a gay couple and the acquittal of their killer but thought I write a bit more about it given the amount of coverage I did on hate crimes yesterday, and the fact that actions are being planned in Spain and in NYC:
Blabbeando: "27 year old Isaac Ali Dani Peréz Triviño was born in Spain. 32 year old Julio Anderson Luciano was born in Brazil. They lived together in the Spanish province of Vigo and were planning to get married.
Both were stabbed to death by Jacobo Piñeiro Rial in their apartment in the early morning of January 13th, 2006. The bodies showed a total of 57 stab wounds, according to forensics.
After killing them, Piñeiro took a shower and cleaned himself up. He filled a suitcase with some of their belongings to make it look like a robbery and then spilled clothing all over the place. He poured alcohol over everything, including his victims' bodies, turned on the gas spigot on the stove, and set everything on fire. The local fire department said that little evidence would have survived if it wasn't for their prompt response to the 5-alarm fire"
The jury bought the killer's 'gay panic' defense: "In a statement riddled by inconsistencies, he said that he had slept in
a guest bedroom, and was awakened late at night by a naked Anderson
Luciano, who invited him over for sex. He says that he was 'disgusted'
by the sexual advances and rejected them, only to be threatened with a
knife. Piñeiro says that he 'panicked' and successfully wrestled the
knife away from his assailant – and used it to 'defend' himself."
More of the timeline of the killing at Blabbeando. The killer, who hardly knew the men, was acquitted of the murders but sentenced to 20 years in prison for setting fire to the apartment.
Demonstrations are planned in Vigo, Spain this weekend, and now one has been set up by New Yorkers in solidarity. It will take place in front of the Spanish Embassy at 150 E. 58th street on Saturday March 7 from 1-2:30 pm.
NYC Protest [facebook page]
