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for Murder's Full Investigation |
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Compiled By GayToday
Marion County, West Virginia--Activists from West Virginia and beyond gathered in front
of the Marion County, West Virginia courthouse at 7 p.m. last night to remember
the life of a gay man murdered last week and to call upon law enforcement
officials to investigate the possibility that the murder was hate motivated.
On July 4, 26-year-old Arthur Carl "J.R." Warren was beaten to death and then run over several times in an effort to conceal the crime. Warren, an African-American gay man, had recently complained to family and friends that he was being harassed. But Marion County Sheriff Ron Watkins has stated there has been no evidence discovered thus far that would lead him to believe that the murder was motivated by bias against Warren's race or sexual orientation. Three teenagers have been arrested and charged in connection with the murder.
State legislators earlier this year refused to pass legislation that would have added sexual orientation to the categories covered under the state hate crimes law, legislation that, if passed, would have taken effect just days before Warren's murder. West Virginia residents, says NGLTF, should also call Sheriff Watkins, 304-367-5300, and Marion County Prosecutor G. Richard Bunner, 304-367-5380, to express concern that the possibility of hate motivation be fully investigated. |
