April 11, 2008

Gay Panic Defense Still Works in Michigan

The short version: A 22-year-old Tennessean named Steven Scarborough beat 62-year-old Victor Manious to death with a baseball bat, then, with his friend Justin Robinson, stuffed Manious — still alive — in the trunk of Manious’ car, and left Manious to die while parked on a city street.

Scarborough’s defense: Perp and victim scuffled, Manious knocked out Scarborough, and when Scarborough came to, he discovered Manious “sexually assaulting” him. So he killed him.

Like we haven’t heard that one before.

And then, of course, because he was ever-so-remorseful (do we need to use a “sarcasm” emoticon here?), Scarborough used his victim’s credit cards and took a flight to Texas.

Scarborough was charged with felony murder and faced mandatory life in prison without parole. The verdict — from a jury whose brains must be lodged permanently up their asses — was voluntary manslaughter.

The maximum prison sentence for voluntary manslaughter is 15 years.

As if it couldn’t get any worse, the jury actually considered acquitting Scarborough.

Are there not twelve sane people in Grand Rapids? If so, not a one was on that jury.

More details — read ‘em and weep:

Upon hearing the verdict, Scarborough hugged his lawyer, Paul Denenfeld, and smiled. His mother, Veronica Hand, in court with her husband, Michael, wept.

Grand Rapids Police Detective Kristen Rogers, who interviewed Scarborough once he was apprehended, put her head in her hands.

Kent County Assistant Prosecutor Helen Brinkman said she would tell the Manious family she did her best. …

About two hours earlier before the verdict was reached, jurors had asked for information regarding acquittal. …

After the verdict Scarborough’s stepfather, Michael Hand, said, “I’m just sorry any of this happened.”

Verdict in Steven Scarborough case
Grand Rapids Press
April 10, 2008

Though Manious was still alive, Scarborough and Robinson then dumped him into the trunk of his own car, after which Scarborough drove Manious’ car to an isolated spot with Robinson accompanying him in another vehicle. Scarborough then joined Robnson, and the two drove away, leaving Manious trapped in the trunk, where he died. …

It is the defense’s contention that throwing Manious into the car trunk and then abandoning him, plus Scarborough’s fleeing to a Texas town, were at the suggestion of Robinson, whom the defense have characterized as more a “mastermind” in the events than Scarborough.

It was Robinson who then tipped off police, saying that he had noticed a man’s name on a credit card that Scarborough subsequently used for a shopping spree. Robinson reportedly claimed that he became suspicious because Scarborough had told him that the card belonged to a girlfriend. …

The incident took place last July; the trial commenced two weeks ago, and in that time, the family of the slain businessman and church leader, who was 62, have heard what they consider to be incredible stories of Manious’ so-called gay double life. …

Soheir Manious’ brother, John Fahd, also shook off allegations that Manious, an immigrant from Egypt who arrived in the U.S. thirty years ago, was leading a double life, noting that the slain man was a church leader for local Coptic Christians. …

Helen Brinkman, the assistant prosecutor for Kent County, told the jury that luring gay men to their apartment and then robbing them was a modus operandi for Scarborough and Robinson. Brinkman’s sequence of events portrayed the two as selecting Manious as their next victim based on their perception that he was foreign and wealthy. …

Kilian Melloy
Victim’s Family Express Disbelief
in “Gay Panic” Murder Case
The Edge
April 10, 2008

“A really arduous process. It was tough,” [one of the jurors] said of the deliberations. “The major focus was on the possibility of a sexual assault” of Scarborough on Manious.

He added such an assault was never proved or disproved.

“…if he (Scarborough) felt he was being violated, he was someone in an emotional state. He just lost it, overreached in the amount of force he used in reacting to sexual abuse. A lot of us said, ‘If it were us, what would we have done?’ I feel relief we reached a decision even though in the beginning I thought there could have been a more severe verdict. In the end, we came up with the best we could. I feel just awful for Victor’s family.” …

Widow, juror speak about Scarborough verdict
WOOD-TV
April 10, 2008

So you take the word of a confessed murderer, and decide that maybe, just maybe, if it happened the way this scumbag says it did, that makes it OK to bludgeon another human being to death?

The jury is as sick as the killer. May the lot of them lose sleep every night for the rest of their lives over their unforgivable decision.

The only thing that got raped in this case was justice.

Posted by: Sapphocrat