An 18-year-old West Texas man was kidnapped and repeatedly sexually assaulted earlier this week in a possible hate crime that’s being compared to the 1998 murder of gay Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard, reports the Dallas Voice.
Citing a report from the The Big Bend Gazette, a monthly newspaper in Alpine, TX, the Voice reports the victim was kidnapped Sunday night by two men outside a bar in Terlingua, near the Texas-Mexico border and Big Bend National Park, the victim was driven in his own vehicle to a remote location in south Brewster County, where the suspects sexually assaulted him and set his car on fire.
The victim was then taken to a private residence in the same area, where he was again sexually assaulted. The victim managed to escape from the home and ran 3 miles across the desert to a highway, where he was eventually found by a sheriff’s deputy at 1 a.m. Monday.
Police have arrested Daniel Phillip Martinez, 46, on charges related to the attack.
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Charges are also pending Kristopher Buchanan, 27, who is also believed to be involved in the attack; he is being held on an outstanding warrant.
Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson said Friday that authorities are not yet investigating the incident as a hate crime.
