“Gay Panic” Defense Succeeds In Spanish Double Murder

From Andrés Duque at Blabbeando:

“Twenty-seven year old Isaac Ali Dani Peréz Triviño (left) was born in Spain. Thirty-two year old Julio Anderson Luciano (center) was born in Brazil. They lived together in the Spanish province of Vigo and were planning to get married.

Both were stabbed to death by Jacobo Piñeiro Rial (right) in their apartment in the early morning of January 13th, 2006. The bodies showed a total of 57 stab wounds, according to forensics.

After killing them, Piñeiro took a shower and cleaned himself up. He filled a suitcase with some of their belongings to make it look like a robbery and then spilled clothing all over the place. He poured alcohol over everything, including his victims’ bodies, turned on the gas spigot on the stove, and set everything on fire. The local fire department said that little evidence would have survived if it wasn’t for their prompt response to the 5-alarm fire.”

Piñeiro Rial met the couple at a gay bar after drinking and doing coke all afternoon. He went with the couple back to their home at 10:30 PM and, forensic experts believe, began murdering the couple around 4:00 AM:

“Apparently, Pérez Triviñio was stabbed first but did not die. Piñeiro then stabbed Anderson Luciano twice while in the couples’ room, and 22 more times as he followed his victim out of the room, into a corridor and out to the living room – where he died.

Pérez Triviñio, in the meantime, had locked himself in the room and records show that he was able to call local authorities. The call was cut short when Piñeiro was able to break back into the room and finish him off by stabbing him 35 more times.

In the living room, he tied Anderson Luciano’s hands and put a blanket over his body; in the bedroom, he placed a blanket over Pérez Triviñio’s head, tied a cable around it, and tethered it to a bed post. He then emptied closets and threw clothes all over the apartment, poured alcohol and set everything on fire.

Piñeiro left the building around 9:30am.”

Piñeiro confessed to killing Peréz Triviño and Anderson Luciano and setting the fire but his lawyer worked to usurp that confession:

“His lawyer argued that Piñeiro was overcome by an “insurmountable fear of being raped and being murdered” and that his judgment was clouded by the alcohol and cocaine he had consumed in the previous two days…”

Forensic experts eliminated the role of cocaine and alcohol as a factor in the incident based upon the time of the murders (it would have worn off), which reduced the defense to the “insurmountable fear” AKA “gay panic.”

And the jury bought it: Piñeiro was acquitted of the murders.

John Aravosis writes at AmericaBlog:

“Spain has legalized gay marriage. So you’d think “we’ve won!” We haven’t. Even after you win your rights – long after – you’re still not equal, you’re still not free. Slavery was abolished after the civil war. The Civil Rights Act didn’t happen until 100 years later. And now, 50 years hence, African-Americans still face prejudice and discrimination, even having elected a black president. It takes a long time to purge bigotry.

I’m asking folks to do what they can to help publicize this case, and show support. There’s a Facebook group I’d urge everyone to join. There are also protests this Saturday in Madrid, Barcelona, and around Spain. […] It’s Spain’s “twinkie defense.” It’s Spain’s Matthew Shepard. It’s Spain’s shame.”

Consolation prize? The judge sentenced Piñeiro to 20 years in jail for setting the fire, which was viewed as endangering others. Lesson? Potentially endangering heterosexuals is worse than actually killing homosexuals.

Blabbeando has links to Spanish-language news articles. Unfortunately, I can’t find any coverage in the American press.

Thanks to JMG.

Excessive Celebration Fail (Win?)

This wouldn’t be half as funny if the camera person didn’t catch the score at the end…

NYT: Albany Takes Step To Repeal Rockefeller Drug Laws

New York’s Assembly has agreed to pass legislation to repeal much of what remains of controversial Rockefeller Drug Laws.

“The Assembly’s proposal restores judges’ discretion in sentencing in many lower-level drug possession crimes. Judges would be able to send many offenders to treatment programs instead of prison without receiving consent from prosecutors. In addition, the measure would permit about 2,000 prisoners to apply to have their sentences reconsidered.”

The Assembly is expected to vote on Wednesday afternoon; it would then move to the Senate and to Gov. Patterson, a vocal proponent of repealing and reforming the laws.

“But before any three-way compromise is reached, several sticking points need to be resolved. Those issues include whether drug offenders who do not complete treatment would be sent to prison and whether offenders would first need to be certified as addicted before they could enter a treatment program.”

In 2004, the legislature modified the Rockefeller Drug Laws to eliminate life sentences for non-violent drug offenses. (Why the fuck would you think that is a good idea?!)

The non-profit group Drop The Rock has been tireless in their efforts to repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws but faced resistance in the Republican-controlled legislature.

“Albany Takes Step To Repeal Rockefeller Drug Laws”  (NYT)

Countdown To “Watchmen”

The highly-anticipated, almost-wasn’t-released “Watchmen” film opens Friday in the US and there’s an interesting divide occurring at Rotten Tomatoes, the movie review aggregating site: while the “T-Meter Critics” are currently giving a aggregated rating of 68% (not bad), the so-called Top Critics are only giving it a rating of 14% (bad!).

Why the difference?

Well, the Top Critics tab only includes professional or highly-established critics, like A.O. Scott of the New York Times and Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, while the 68% score is the result of the “professional” critics’ scores as well as anyone else the site surveys, including random Joe “I Write A Film Blog” Blow.

I like Rotten Tomatoes but only use it as a rough guide.  Part of my problem is that many of the reviews they sample from don’t provide numerical grades, which means RT must read the review and then generate a score based on the critic’s review. Thus, not an exact science. And when I do use RT, I try to stick to the Top Critics since I have no idea where the fuck they’re getting some of these people from. That said, I’ve never seen such a discrepancy between the total score and the Top Critics score; I wonder if it will even out as the release date nears and more reviews are published.

The film had it’s worldwide premiere in London last week.  Time Out London gave it 3/6 stars and the Times of London gave it 4/5 stars. I look forward to the NYT review…

Trivia: “Watchmen” was the only graphic novel to appear on Time‘s Best English-language Novels From 1923-present. (Source)

Ah, Love

My Apology To Rush

The Democratic Congressional Campagin Committee will help you draft your own apology to Rush, at I’m Sorry Rush.com.

Mmm… so sexy…

Under The Covers… With A Piano!

“Great Things Are Covered” – Anonymous

Three great songs today reinterpreted through a piano.

Gary Jules – Mad World (Tears For Fear Cover). An absolute MUST-OWN for everyone. Even the deaf. If you were one of those people who saw “Donnie Darko” sixteen times, this will be familiar.

Scissor Sisters – Take Me Out (Franz Ferdinand Cover). Courtesy the BBC’s Live Lounge Series. This cover has been called “Elton John-y” (why? just because there’s a piano?). Anyway, it’s wonderful and fun.

Moby – Creep (Radiohead Cover). The definitive cover of a classic song from Radiohead’s early cataloge. Totally unexpected from Moby with a great  piano bar/martini lounge quality to it.

Enjoy!