Two Marines were charged with battery after beating a gay man so viciously that he was left unconscious on the street in Savannah, Georgia. The victim is still hospitalized, reports the Augusta Chronicle.
"[A police] officer rushed to the intersection and found 26-year-old Kieran Daly unconscious, with friends performing emergency first aid, a report stated. The officer caught up with the two men who were running, identified as 22-year-old Keil Joseph Cronauer and 23-year-old Christopher Charles Stanzel. Police records show both men are stationed at Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, S.C. Cronauer and Stanzel told police they were being harassed by a gay man and wanted to get away from him. But witnesses painted a different picture, according to the report.
"They told police before the men were seen dashing away from Johnson Square, one of them grew angry because they thought Daly was winking at them and struck Daly in the back of the head with his fist, knocking him unconscious. Saturday night, from his bed at Memorial University Medical Center, Daly insisted he tried to convince the Marines he was not winking at them. 'The guy thought I was winking at him,' Daly said. 'I told him, 'I was squinting, man. ... I'm tired.' Daly said one of the men told him he demanded respect because he served in Iraq. And at least one hurled slurs at him as he tried to walk away. 'That's the last thing I remember is walking away,' Daly said."
Cronauer and Stanzel were booked into Chatham County jail on misdemeanor battery charges and later released to military police, report the Chronicle and the Savannah Morning News. The Savannah Police Department's LGBT liaison is investigating.
The victim suffered bruising to the brain and two seizures immediately after the attack. To add insult to the already serious injuries: Georgia does not have a hate crimes statute and the victim says he "only came out six months ago". Probably not the coming out party that he expected.
UPDATE: Cronauer and Stanzel apparently have computer privileges while in Marine "custody". Their Facebook pages are now locked.
They need to send his ass back to Iraq.
Posted by: duttybama | 13 June 2010 at 18:22
It is a shame. I wish that it had been the English MMA transvestite, so they could have gotten their behinds handed to them.
Posted by: Zambos27 | 13 June 2010 at 23:41
Essentially, the Marines beat Daly because they thought Daly winked at them? And our military lets these two handle rifles? (Shudder)
Posted by: Nathan James | 14 June 2010 at 03:13
Stories like this keep reminding us, we've come a long way but still have soooo far to go.
Posted by: DBarr | 14 June 2010 at 09:02
He was struck on the back of the head so obviously they were the ones walking behind and harrassing the gay guy.
a guy can't wink at you when your behind him. but their excuse is the same as usual from any gay basher that travels in groups. Oh it was the gays fault because i was so attractive they couldn't resist me and tried to hump my leg so i bashed him. i'm so sick of that excuse. but sadly sometimes it works.
Posted by: jacob | 14 June 2010 at 09:46
I saw online or on tv i forgot where exactly but gay bashers do this in groups of 2 or more to prove their sexuality to the others. to affirm their all man and not soft or gay.
if he wouldn't have bashed him than his friend probably would have suspected he was also gay.
but the victim told the bashers he wasn't winking at them so why didn't they just let it go? if someone of the the same sex doesn't like you and your straight, shouldn't you feel relief? it's almost as if they felt angry that they weren't attractive enough for what they thought was a gay man and so they bashed him.
Posted by: jacob | 14 June 2010 at 09:59