Rod 2.0:Beta

Chicago Mother Suspects Gay Son Was Killed After Online Hookup

Troubling news from Chicago where we spend the holidays with family. A video report from FOX 32 profiles a grieving mother pleading for answers in the death of her gay son.

Two weeks ago on November 17, twenty-four-year-old Larry Bland was killed in his home on the city's Chicago's South Side. Bland was shot in the head and police report "no leads" but his mother believes this was a result off an online hookup.

Josephine Bland says her son was "consumed" with online hookup sites such as Adam4Adam—video HERE—where he spent hours every day and often invited men into the home he owned. The mom was so disturbed by the behavior she eventually moved out. "I said if you don't stay off the party line," Bland says. "I'm moving out. And that's what I did, he was on every day, all day."

The grieving mother says her deceased rented out the first floor apartment to help pay the mortgage, and, both apartments frequently hosted "young boys and grown men" at all hours.

The video is especially compelling at the end because Ms. Bland is in tears. "I just want to know who killed my son," she cries. "I'm praying for them and I'm praying for my family."

Adam4Adam, fortunately or unfortunately, has become the go-to site for gay black men. A weekend report in The New York Times describes the lack of black gay community and life in Newark, New Jersey, but, finds 500 active A4A members in the Brick City. The online hookup site also featured prominently in the Michael Sandy murder case because the would-be-killers trolled the chatroom looking for potential victims. They eventually lured Michael Sandy to his death.

Thanks Miguel, Jon and C. Baptiste!

More CRIME.
More CHICAGO.
More MICHAEL SANDY.

Michael Sandy Latest: Weekend Vigil and Jury Explains Verdict

Over the weekend, new developments in the Michael Sandy murder and robbery trial which saw two convictions on mixed verdicts in the past two weeks. On Sunday, "nearly 100 people turned out for the vigil" to honor the life of the late gay black man who was lured to a remote parking lot off the Brooklyn's Belt Parkway on October 8, 2006. (Complete case HERE.) Four young men trolled the Adam4Adam message board for potential victims, arranged the hook-up and then ambushed the Brooklyn interior designer, robbing him and chasing him into traffic. Sandy was hit by an SUV and died days later.

The vigil took place at Plumb Beach, the scene of the vicious crime. The Daily News reports, "Michael Sandy's mother, Denise Sandy, 53, said she hopes her son's death is the last of its kind. 'Justice is being done and I'm thankful for that,' she said. 'We don't want this tragedy to happen to anybody else again.' " The New York Times adds this is only the second time that Mrs. Sandy visited the location and she says, "Just to go back into that atmosphere was very unpleasant; there was a heaviness there, to actually go to see where my son died."

The Sandy case and its two convictions have renewed interest in the Belt Parkway rest area. On the same day as the vigil, The New York Times visited the beach and the parking lot, described as "a convenient place where older men could arrange sexual assignations with other men." Reporters interviewed an older man in a sedan "that had been parked for 35 minutes" who insisted he was not cruising. "Still, when a younger man in a gray hooded sweatshirt approached the white sedan, the two men talked for several minutes and exchanged cigarettes. It is unclear what happened, but both left soon after."

From vigils to cruising to the five days of jury deliberations in the conviction of Anthony Fortunato, who hoped to fend off gay-bashing charges by telling a jury that he is also gay. Gay City News has an excellent report on the deliberations where jurors report they "all believed that he is gay" after the defense called several gay and bisexual men who tricked with Fortunato. "It was incredibly hard and I know that the other jurors felt a lot of sympathy for Anthony Fortunato," the second juror says. "No one thought he was a bad kid."

"Not a bad kid." Hopefully the jurors had as much sympathy for Michael Sandy and his family.

Complete Michael Sandy coverage HERE.

Memorial Held for Michael Sandy [NY Daily News]
Man's Death Shines Light in a Parking Lot [NYT]
Jury Convicts Second Sandy Defendant [Gay City]
Sandy Jury Explains Manslaughter Verdict [Gay City]

Some Background...
"Gay" Defense Fails in Michael Sandy Trial [R20]
First Conviction in the Michael Sandy Trial [R20]
News: Florida Dems, Michael Sandy [R20]
Don't Lock Me Up I'm Gay [Keith Boykin]
Michael Sandy Murder Suspects in Court [R20]
Murder Suspect: He Only "Arranged" the Crime [R20]
Bail for Sandy Murder Suspect? [R20]
Killer Took a Nap After Brutal Gay Bashing [R20]
Charges Upgraded in Sandy Case [R20]
Michael Sandy Taken Off Ventilator [R20]
Four Arrested in Internet Set-Up [R20]
Brooklyn Gay Bashing Update [R20]
Gay Man Beaten in Vicious Attack? [R20]

First Conviction in the Michael Sandy Trial: "The Ringleader"

The first conviction in the Michael Sandy robbery and murder trial has arrived. A Brooklyn jury convicts 20-year-old John Fox of manslaughter as a hate crime and lesser charges for his role in the deadly robbery of the black gay interior designer lured via an Internet chat room. Fox was acquitted of the "most serious charge, murder as a hate crime, which could have kept him behind bars for the rest of his life."

"I wouldn't say I'm unhappy with the verdict," says Zeke Sandy, the father of the slain Brooklyn man, Michael Sandy. "They had the case and they did their best. We have to accept it."

Prosecutors described Fox as "the ringleader" for his role in trolling the Adam4Adam message board for potential victims, selecting a gay man as a robbery target, recruiting his friends to participate, and, ultimately, chasing the 29-year-old Sandy into his death in traffic.

Fox faces prison time that ranges from as little as 5 years to as many as 50. Another suspect tried in the same case, Anthony Fortunato, is awaiting his verdict. (Fortunato's defense advanced the ridiculous claim that the suspect himself was gay and lured Michael Sandy in hopes of a coming out party.) A third man, Ilya Shurov, will be tried separately.

Twenty-nine-year-old Michael J. Sandy Williamsburg was lured to a secluded lot in Sheepshead Bay on Oct. 8, 2006, after exchanging online messages with his would-be-killers on Adam4Adam. He was led to a narrow beach, then attacked and chased into traffic on the Belt Parkway. He was struck by an SUV and later died of his injuries. The driver has never been identified.

Complete Michael Sandy coverage here.

Thief Guilty of Hate in Gay Slay [NY Post]
Conviction of Death of Gay Man in Traffic [NYT]

Some Background...
News: Florida Dems, Michael Sandy [R20]
Don't Lock Me Up I'm Gay [Keith Boykin]
Michael Sandy Murder Suspects in Court [R20]
Murder Suspect: He Only "Arranged" the Crime [R20]
Bail for Sandy Murder Suspect? [R20]
Killer Took a Nap After Brutal Gay Bashing [R20]
Charges Upgraded in Sandy Case [R20]
Michael Sandy Taken Off Ventilator [R20]
Four Arrested in Internet Set-Up [R20]
Brooklyn Gay Bashing Update [R20]
Gay Man Beaten in Vicious Attack? [R20]

Michael Sandy Murder Suspects in Court, Parents Hear Killers' Videotaped Confessions

More developments in the horrific robbery-murder case of Michael Sandy as the parents of the slain Brooklyn interior designer watched the videotaped confessions of their son's killers ...

According to The New York Daily News, Denise and Ezekiel Sandy "wept silently" as the packed courtroom watched and listened to the videotaped confessions by the three young men charged with killing their son—John Fox, Anthony Fortunato and Ilya Shurov.

In early October, the three 20-year-old men and 16-year-old Gary Timmins (not yet charged), lured Sandy from an Adam4Adam chat room to remote parking near Brooklyn's Plumb Beach. There, he was beaten, robbed and chased into oncoming traffic on the Belt Parkway, only to be struck by a motorist. The severe injuries caused Michael Sandy to fall into a coma and his family was forced to make the difficult decision to remove him from life support on October 13. Complete coverage of the investigation HERE.

The Daily News reports the confession by Fox, seen here, whose father is a New York City firefighter: "As Fox lured Sandy to the beach with the promise of sex, "Alex came running out and hit him. The guy screamed and ran for his car," Fox said. "Alex chased him and dragged him out. He was trying to get away. He was screaming, 'Stop!'"

The New York Times picks up the story with even more chilling detail: "[Sandy] climbed over a guardrail along the Belt Parkway, stopped a lane of traffic, waved his cellphone as if to call for help, stumbled into the next lane and was hit by a car.

They said they dragged the gay man off the road and searched his pockets for money and drugs but his pockets were empty. They went home and drank beer and the gay man died in a hospital."

According to the videotaped confessions, the suspects trolled Internet chat rooms for gay men to rob because "it was the easiest way to make money," Ilya Shurov said. "We weren't trying to hurt him. We just wanted some money."

Prosecutors say the suspects recovered very little cash from the body, which they abandoned by the side of the road.

Suspect Sought 'Gay Guys to Rob' [Daily News]

Defendants Point Fingers in Death of Gay Man [NYT]

Some Background on the Sandy Case ....

Murder Suspect: He Only "Arranged" the Crime [R20] Bail for Sandy Murder Suspect? [R20] Killer Took a Nap After Brutal Gay Bashing [R20] Charges Upgraded in Sandy Case [R20] Michael Sandy Taken Off Ventilator [R20] Four Arrested in Internet Set-Up [R20] Brooklyn Gay Bashing Update [R20] Gay Man Beaten in Vicious Attack? [R20]

Sandy Murder Suspect's Defense: He Only "Arranged" the Crime

Good news to report in the Michael Sandy case ...

Bail is denied for Anthony Fortunato, one of three defendants charged in the gruesome October murder of the gay, black Brooklyn interior designer. Fortunato's attorney offered a $1.2 million bail package comprised of the family's real estate holdings. Gerald DiChiara argued Fortunato was not accused of striking any blows, "only arranging the crime."

“We have a hate crime here,” DiChiara said, “where there is no hate.”

The judge sided with prosecutors who maintain they have sufficient evidence to connect Fortunato to the crime. Fortunato, John Fox and Ilya Shurov face 25 years to life for second-degree murder as a hate crime and a laundry list of aggravated charges. Brooklyn detectives say the men trolled Adam4Adam chat rooms and pretended to be gay, luring Sandy to a remote parking lot in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. The interior designer was struck by a car on the Belt Parkway while trying to escape the robbery and assault. Michael Sandy died on October 13, one day after his 29th birthday.

Thanks Bernie and Andres!

Emotions Run High at Hearing in Bias Killing (NYT)

Some Background on the Sandy Case ....

Bail for Sandy Murder Suspect? (Rod 2.0) Killer Took a Nap After Brutal Gay Bashing (Rod 2.0) Charges Upgraded in Sandy Case (Rod 2.0) Michael Sandy Taken Off Ventilator (Rod 2.0) Brooklyn Suspect Released (Rod 2.0) Four Arrested in Internet Set-Up (Rod 2.0) Brooklyn Gay Bashing Update (Rod 2.0) Gay Man Beaten in Vicious Attack? (Rod 2.0)

Bail for Sandy Murder Suspect?

An unfortunate update the tragic case of Michael Sandy ...

Gay City News reports the family of Anthony Fortunato, one of four defendants charged in the murder of the Brooklyn interior designer, "is prepared to post a bond securing as much as $1.3 million to get their 20-year-old son out on bail." Fortunato could be on the street as soon as February 7.

"None of us have any idea how he will do out on bond, but we do know that when a very young man is facing a very serious sentence for murder there is a disincentive for him to stick around," says Clarence Patton, executive director of the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project (AVP). The AVP has mounted a letter-writing campaign to oppose Fortunato's bail. More information here.

Fortunato, John Fox and Ilya Shurov—who reportedly took a 'power nap' after the brutal slaying—face 25 years to life for second-degree murder as a hate crime and assorted charges. Prosecutors say the men trolled Adam4Adam chat rooms and pretended to be gay, luring Sandy to a remote parking lot in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. The four thugs allegedly tried to rob Sandy, who was struck by a car on the Belt Parkway while trying to escape. Michael Sandy died on October 13, one day after his 29th birthday.

(Thanks Andres!)

Some Background on the Sandy Case ....

Killer Took a Nap After Brutal Gay Bashing (Rod 2.0) Charges Upgraded in Sandy Case (Rod 2.0) Michael Sandy Taken Off Ventilator (Rod 2.0) Brooklyn Suspect Released (Rod 2.0) Four Arrested in Internet Set-Up (Rod 2.0) Brooklyn Gay Bashing Update (Rod 2.0) Gay Man Beaten in Vicious Attack? (Rod 2.0)

4 Suspects "Trolled Adam4Adam", Sandy Family May Pull the Plug

The latest on the Michael Sandy case: Three young men are charged with vicious hate crimes as the gay Brooklyn man remains in a coma and clings to life on a respirator.

John Fox, 19; Ilya Shurov, 20, and Gary Timmins, 16—all of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn—were charged with assault and robbery as hate crimes in Sunday's brutal bashing. "They are predators. They went to gay chat rooms. They posed as gay men. They targeted gay men and schemed to rob them. We don't think this victim was their first," a police source says, adding that another 20 year old man is cooperating with investigators.

Michael Sandy, a native of Bellport, L.I., is an interior designer at the Ikea store in Hicksville. He lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Investigators say Fox and Shurov posed as gay men and "trolled the internet chat room Adam4Adam looking for easy marks to rob. They thought they found a likely target" on Sunday, when Sandy agreed to meet them at Plumb Beach, a known gay cruising spot in Sheepshead Bay

McCartha Lewis, Sandy’s aunt and the popular Trini singer known as Calypso Rose, says the family is rallying to support her nephew and struggling with whether to remove him from the respirator. She says the family wanted to wait at least until today, Michael’s 29th birthday, before making that decision “The doctors want us to pull the plug, but I told them no.”

Hate Crime Charges in Belt Attack (NY Daily News)

3 Charged in Hate Crimes (NYT)

Calypso Rose Bio and Discography (Wikipedia/Ice Records)

More NYC Gay Bashing:

Four Arrested in Internet Set-Up (Rod 2.0) Brooklyn Gay Bashing Update (Rod 2.0) Gay Man Beaten in Vicious Attack? (Rod 2.0) Man Found in Prospect Park (Rod 2.0) Hate Trial Begins (Rod 2.0) NYPD Denies Lead (Rod 2.0) "So Freaked Out" (Rod 2.0) Hate Trial Begins (Rod 2.0) Rashawn Brazell: A Memorial (Rod 2.0) Six Months (Rod 2.0) Mother's Day Blues (Rod 2.0)

Four Arrested in Internet Set-Up

Four young men are arrested and at least one is charged in connection with the brutal beating of Michael Sandy—the nephew of the popular entertainer Calypso Rose—who was lured to a remote parking lot after an encounter in an internet chat room.

Nineteen year-old John Fox of Brooklyn faces assault, robbery and hate crime charges. Detectives say tell WCBS that this is not the first time Fox has lured a gay man from an online chat room to a remote location promising sex, only to leave him severely beaten.

Police say the teen and his accomplices say they are straight and targeted Sandy in the chat room because "he was an easy mark." Sources say three of the attackers are white, which led to initial suspicions that the attack along the Belt Parkway was race-related.

Michael Sandy will turn 29 tomorrow and is an interior designer for Ikea. He remains brain-dead at Brookdale Hospital and his family is agonizing over taking him off the respirator. His aunt is Calypso Rose, the popular singer from Tobago who is in NYC with the family: "From what I see, only a miracle could bring back that boy. Right now, things are not looking good."

Belt Pkwy Bias Attack Suspect Arraigned (WCBS)

B'klyn Gay Bash Horror Was Cyber Set-Up (NY Post)

Rose's Rephew Beaten, Now in Coma (Trinidad News)

More NYC Gay Bashing:

Brooklyn Gay Bashing Update (Rod 2.0) Gay Man Beaten in Vicious Attack? (Rod 2.0) Man Found in Prospect Park (Rod 2.0) Hate Trial Begins (Rod 2.0) NYPD Denies Lead (Rod 2.0) "So Freaked Out" (Rod 2.0) Hate Trial Begins (Rod 2.0) Rashawn Brazell: A Memorial (Rod 2.0) Six Months (Rod 2.0) Mother's Day Blues (Rod 2.0)