The first trial in connection with the brutal murders of three friends in a Newark schoolyard began Tuesday with opening statements. Three men and three teens were indicted for the gruesome August 2007 killings of three college students. At least two victims were gay. One woman, a lesbian, was sexually assaulted. Prosecutors declined to file hate crime charges ... partly because the victims' families "did not want" their deceased children identified as gay.
Terrance Aeriel, Iofemi Hightower and Dashon Harvey were killed August 4, 2007 when they were shot execution style outside a Newark elementary school. A fourth victim survived the shootings. Harvey, Aeriel and the 19 year old survivor attended Delaware State University and lived in Newark. Harvey was openly gay, Hightower was reportedly lesbian and the friends "planned to drive together to New York City the next morning to attend a black Gay Pride event at Riis Park Beach.
Rodolfo Godinez is the first of six defendants to go to trial. In today's opening arguments, Essex County prosecutors said this was a robbery and initiation into a violent El Salvadoran street gang. The defendants allegedly attacked the victims with a
machete before shooting them execution-style. All six suspects face murder, felony murder, robbery and
weapons counts in addition to the sexual assault.
Sources tell Rod 2.0 at least one teen defendant attended high school with one of the gay victims. "Some of the kids who hung with that clique were gay, some weren't, but it was widely known as 'the gay clique'", one person said.
In April 2008, Rod 2.0 reported the victim's families resisted efforts to label the case an anti-gay hate crime:
[Newark] black gay activists say the families of the victims "did not support efforts to publicly identify the murders as an anti-gay hate crime. 'We were told that anything related to the victims' sexual orientation should remain a private matter,' said James Credle, co-president of Newark Pride Alliance, a gay group. 'They made it clear that they didn't want the case to go in that direction.' " The police and mayor have refused to label the case as more than a "robbery gone wrong". Credle says anti-gay stigma remains strong in Newark's predominately black community.
R20's complete coverage HERE.
Read more and listen to a report at 1010 WINS.
Thanks Rod for keeping us updated with this case. I had forgotten all about it. I am just wondering when are we(Black race) come together and discuss our fears and stigmas? I can understand the families at some point of not labeling this as a hate crime because if all weren't gay but they all were Black. I am so upset with these senseless killings that it totally breaks my heart! Why? If one of them could give me an educated answer to murders then maybe I could understand it. What is wrong with them? No one loved them growing up?
Posted by: Cedric | 28 April 2010 at 06:12
These kids were put to death in the most horrible manner, http://www.1010wins.com/Photos-Tell-Brutal-Story/6914759>as crime-scene photos shown at trial indicate, and all the victims' families care about is their own image--like it would be a stain on their "reputation" if their neighbors knew they had gay children!
On top of that, Rod accurately reported there was no evidence to support a robbery motive for these killings, but don't let the jury know that, right? SMH!
Posted by: Nathan James | 28 April 2010 at 13:45
Just shows that in many cases not even the parents care of LGBT of color being killed for THAT very reason. You can portray them as predators and perverts but as victims? Not a chance. It just fits the the narrow-minded and stupid view of many folks of color.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 28 April 2010 at 16:03
I hope the evil sub-human scum that did this to these innocent young men and women rot in prison for the rest of their miserable and worthless lives....
Posted by: MW09 | 29 April 2010 at 19:30