Tony Randolph Hunter from Clinton, Md., was beaten to death outside a Washington D.C. Be Bar gay bar in September 2008. The man charged with Hunter’s death pleaded guilty Thursday to one charge of misdemeanor assault.
Whether this act should be considered a sexual hate crime or not might always remain in question.
Hannah, of Washington D.C., was originally charged with voluntary manslaughter but pleaded guilty Thursday to a lesser charge in agreement to a plea bargain offered by court prosecutors.
Hannah’s claims he was defending himself after being sexually propositioned by Hunter.
Hannah’s defense attorney, Joseph Caleb, told Metro Weekly Hannah’s response was a “knee-jerk reaction” after being offended. Other witnesses outside the Be Bar where the beating happened have conflicting accounts of the situation.
Superior court judge Rafael Diaz has set Hannah’s sentencing to Oct. 14 in Washington, D.C. Hannah can receive a maximum sentence of 180 days, a fine up to $1,000 or both. This is in agreement with the plea bargain.
According to USlegaldefinitions.com, a misdemeanor is an offense leading to less than a year of imprisonment and less severe than a felony. Misdemeanors are classified and charged by the level of seriousness.
Read the full story from Advocate.com
http://advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/09/18/Guilty_Plea_in_Hunter_Case/
