Father Says North Carolina Car-Theft Murder May be Hate Crime

Three young Durham, North Carolina men targetted a gay man, then tortured and killed him when he tried to flee, one of the alleged perpertrators told authorities. According to the defendant's statement, Sean Ethan Owen, 23, died Feb. 17 after Matthew Lawrence Taylor, 16; Shelton Deangelo Epps, 21; and Derrick Arness Maiden, 18; found Owen through a gay chat room, and arranged to meet him with the intention of stealing his car.

However, the victim's father, Michael S. Owens, Sr., told a reporter, "They shot him before they even attempted to rob him of anything. From what I understand, my son had $10 in his front pocket when they found him. I think they were on the chat line talking to somebody to actually murder."

North Carolina's hate crime law does not include sexual orientation. However, anti-gay bias might be considered in assessing motive in the prosecution or sentencing phase of a trial. The three men are in custody, awaiting a grand jury indictment. Media industry columnist Richard Prince asks: Is this the Matthew Shepard case with a different cast?.