A gruesome murder—largely ignored by mainstream media—of a 35-year-old man in southern Indiana is a murky case at best, sparking controversy on the Internet and in the Hoosier State, which lacks hate crime legislation.
On April 12, Crothersville resident Aaron Hall was beaten for several hours by three of his younger male friends after the accused killers say Hall made a sexual advance toward one of them. Hall was then dragged by his feet down a staircase, beaten as the accused killers transported him in a pick-up truck and then dumped in a ditch, where he was beaten again. The alleged killers then returned a few days later to pick up his body and hide it in the garage of one of the killers ( who happens to be the son of the local coroner ) .
Hall's nude body was discovered 10 days later after police followed up on a tip provided by John Hodge, who told police he received a text message from one of the alleged killers; the message supposedly included a picture of a bloodied and beaten Hall between two of the accused. Hodge also told local authorities he received a phone call from Hendricks, who bragged the three were beating Hall.
The coroner's report revealed that Hall most likely died from blunt force injuries and possible hypothermia.
The accused killers—Garrett Gray, Robert James Hendricks and Coleman King—say that they murdered Hall because he made gay advances toward King. According to King's affidavit, the friends were drinking alcohol when Hall 'grabbed him in the groin asking King to perform oral sex.' It wasn't until after the three were arrested that they claimed Hall made gay advances toward King.
Those close to Hall say he was heterosexual, which has led to various opinions in Indiana's LGBT community and among Internet bloggers as to whether or not this murder is indeed a hate crime ( although, in some states such as Illinois, perceived sexual orientation is included under the definition of a hate crime ) . There are also varying opinions as to whether or not the murder of Hall should be used as an example of why Indiana needs hate crime legislation.
Many in the community fear rumors that the accused killers will use the 'gay panic' defense, a legal strategy that claims the killer or killers murdered because they were in a so-called psychiatric condition called 'gay panic.' This rarely-used legal tactic, some say, could have been deterred if Indiana were not one of five states left in the nation that lacks hate crimes legislation.
Next week: Indiana's LGBT community responds to the case, 'gay panic' and the state's lack of hate crime legislation.
