A murderer who shot a gay man in New York City after hurling homophobic slurs at him has been defended by his transgender lover — who claims the defendant isn’t a bigot at all.
The suspect, Elliot Morales, is acting as his own lawyer for the hate-crime murder of gay stranger Mark Carson.
His first witness was a former love interest he’d met online.
Using the pseudonym Jane Smith, the 38-year-old woman testified while sitting behind a curtain in Manhattan Supreme Court.
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She claimed she and Morales had a physical relationship on and off for a decade.
“In your experience and personal knowledge,” Morales asked, “do you believe Elliot Morales is a person who hates gays?”
“Absolutely not,” she answered.
She says she met Morales after he responded to her dating profile: “Transsexual woman looking for a man.”
“I’m not a bigot of any type,” Morales previously told Justice Kirke Bartley. “I don’t hate anyone. Not gays, lesbians, none of that.”
“This is not a hate crime. This was not an intentional murder.”
Last week, Morales blamed the murder victim Mark Carson and his friend Danny Robinson for starting the attack, which began after an intoxicated Morales asked the pair “Are you gay wrestlers?” and called them “faggots.”
When the men confronted them, Morales shot Carson in the face.
Morales says the murder could have been avoided if they’d simply walked away.
Morales is charged with second-degree murder as a hate crime.
He insists he didn’t kill Mark Carson because of his sexuality.
The trial continues.
h/t: Pink News
