Accused killer of gay student goes to trial today

Bartow, Florida - Jury selection begins Monday in the murder trial of a man accused of brutally murdering a Polk County College student.

On March 14, 2007, 25-year-old Ryan Skipper's body was found dumped on the side of a road in Wahneta, a few miles away from his Winter Haven home.

He bled to death from 19 stab wounds and a cut to his throat. An investigation by the Polk County Sheriff's Office later determined Skipper was targeted because he was gay.

His killers left him to bleed to death as they drove off in his car, hoping to sell it for drugs. They never unloaded the car, which was later found abandoned in front of a Lake Pansy sign.

"Their attitude was, we did society a favor, we got rid of another fag. They not only didn't think they did anything wrong, they thought they were doing society a favor. That's tragic," said Phyllis Hunt, senior Pastor at Tampa's Metropolitan Community Church.

She didn't know Skipper, but was angered by the brutality of his killing. She has stood by his family ever since, advocating for change in laws regarding hate crimes.

Joseph Bearden was convicted of second degree murder in February for the killing and sentenced to life in prison without parole. The prosecution had been seeking first degree murder and the death penalty.

It wasn't the conviction Skipper's family had hoped for, but they accepted the life sentence.

Although it was stated in court that it was believed Skipper was killed because he was gay, Bearden was not prosecuted for a hate crime. His co-conspirator, William Brown, Jr. will not be either when he goes to trial on Monday.

Brown told investigators they killed Skipper because he made unwanted sexual advances.

His brutal murder inspired the documentary, 'Accessory to Murder: Our Culture's Complicity in the Death of Ryan Skipper', which examines how his murder was investigated and the media coverage surrounding it.

Phyllis Hunt says both of Ryan's killers should face hate crime charges.

"If somebody is murdered for hate, then the perpetrators should be prosecuted because of hate," she said.

Legislation may be coming too late for Skipper, but it may be just in time for others.

The Matthew Shepard Act, which was attached to the Department of Defense bill, is waiting on President Obama's signature.

It is named for a 21-year-old Wyoming college student who was brutally murdered in 1998 because he was gay.

It expands hate crime acts to include sexual orientation and transgenders and will provide funding assistance to law enforcement to investigate and prosecute hate crimes, an often very expensive process that many jurisdictions cannot afford.

$5 million in grant dollars has been alloted for the program.

Hunt says they expect a signature next week.

While it's coming too late for Skipper, Hunt and Skipper's family continue to advocate for the equal treatment of all people, despite their race, gender, religion, abilities, and sexual orientation.

Skipper's family was out of town this weekend, attending another son's wedding, but released this pre-trial statement:

Two and a half years ago, our son Ryan Skipper was killed in a violent hate crime. Ryan was an openly gay man. His killers thought no one would care and, WORSE, that they would be praised by their peers for these violent actions. This trial is about finding justice for Ryan, for our family, and for our community.

We are here to let the world know that Ryan, like so many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, was an upstanding citizen in this community. We are here because this tragedy continues to scar our lives. And we are here to encourage others to stand with us in fighting against hate, bigotry and inequality wherever we may find it.

Ryan was loved just the way he was. He was important to his family, friends, and others. His murder has caused incalculable harm to a great many people. Losing Ryan has forever changed our family and brought a heartache that we hoped no other family would know. However, the tragedy is that this hate crime was not an isolated incident! Anti-gay hatred, once directed at Ryan, has not left our society. Since Ryan?s murder in 2007, five others that we know of in Florida?s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community have lost their lives to hate. Many more have suffered brutal beatings, vandalism and discrimination. WE KNOW THIS BECAUSE WE HAVE CONSOLED THEIR GRIEVING FAMILIES. THIS VIOLENCE HAS GOT TO STOP.

NOW is the time and THIS is the reason, we must all stand together in supporting equality, dignity and respect for all people.

Thank you,

Ryan's family