Remember Bobby Singleton? He's the Dallas area man who, with a friend, beat the crap out of a one Jimmy Dean last July during a robbery attempt, all the while screaming things like "faggot," which left Dean (pictured, right) with a broken back, jaw, and chin. But to evade having his crime enhanced with a hate crime attachment, Singleton pretended he himself is gay — except in recorded prison phone calls, he revealed he wasn't. Well the jury heard it all in his aggravated robbery trial, and convicted him.
There hasn't been a sentencing yet, but Singleton faces the maximum: life in prison. While Texas doesn't have hate crimes as a separate criminal charge, it can be used to "enhance" the charge, though prosecutors didn't attempt it, since they were already going after the maximum punishment, and adding a hate crime charge could have meant a tougher burden of proof.
Keep in mind, a life sentence isn't really a life sentence, and Singleton could still get out before he dies. Or, in a terrible world, he could be sentenced only to probation, the minimum. Either way, it's a sad, terrible story, and there are no winners here.
Jurors, though, have heard through witnesses and Singleton's own words that the attack was based on sexual orientation. Dallas police also classified the assault and robbery as a hate crime.
"We figured they would be easier targets because their [sic] are a lot of homosexuals around the area," Singleton wrote in his confession to Dallas police, which was admitted into evidence.
In the phone call recording, Singleton and the woman laughed about how Dean's "nose was dangling." Singleton says he called Dean "you punk [expletive]" and stomped him two or three times.
The woman told Dean that he went too far. "You did too much," she said. "You just went and didn't stop."
Also on Wednesday, Dean testified about the impact of the beating on his life. He suffered a broken back, jaw and chin in the attack. He doesn't have a sense of smell, and the look of his face is forever changed.
Dean said that if he has to walk down the street where he was beaten, he walks down the middle of the road.
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he is super sexy..in a redneck kinda way. lol…is it wrong of me to say that?
@ras: yes
Not if you want to come across as an asshole.
Hell, he claimed in court he was gay when he wasn't, add in a perjury charge to try to attache a few more years on his "Life" sentance.
Ras, you are an idiot and a poor excuse for a human! Oh wait is it wrong for me to say that?
Ras – even if you think he's kinda cute in a redneck sorta way; why is that an appropriate comment here? There are lots of places to comment on cute guys. This is serious. Unless you're one of those breeder/possibly religious types who wants to interject on Gay websites to try to make Gay people look trivial and shallow.
And before the negative comments start, the "breeder" part refers to Ras the redneck not all straight people.
PS how dimwitted are these criminals? They keep forgetting prison calls are recorded or at the very least, monitored?
@Jaroslaw:
Well, if he was smart, his ass would not be in prison in the first place! ;o)
@ras:
he is super sexy..in a redneck kinda way.
Not only are you an asshole for saying such a thing on this site, you're taste in men is obviously in your ass!
Guess you must be harboring a death-wish or at the least, have a deep-seated need to end-up looking like the victim.
Schmuck head.
Singleton was just sentenced to 75 years!
@Demand Equality: But what does that mean? Can he still get out on parole or just do 3 years or so? I don't get the court system.
What a loser. Singleton gay bashes and then pretends to be gay to get out of it. Really, no integrity. If you'ge going to hate on someone because of their sexuality, don't then pretend to be something you hate.
If he does go to prison, I hope everyone does think he is gay and bashes him.
And I think there's a mistake in that excerpt. Why would the woman tell DEAN that he went too far. Wasn't Dean the one getting his ass kicked and life changed forever.
He will not be up for parole for 37 1/2 years so he will be 67 when he is up for parole.
ALL the jurors hugged Jimmy (some crying) when it was over! The deliberations took over 3 hours because 4 people wanted to give Singleton life!
Laura
@Laura: really,thank goodness!!!!
Here's to hoping he doesn't get raped too much in prison.
@Laura: If this is true (I'm sorry, I'm just so jaded but so much nowadays), then I can almost say Justice was delivered. But really, until Singleton's face is all effed up and he has someone kicking him in the face and doing exactly what he did to Dean, it's not the same.
Thanks for the info.
Actually, here's a very good report on the trial and what happened to Dean. It's terrible. The poor man lost his teeth, is disfigured, has a mouth of metal, because of these two thugs. Just terrible.
http://www.dallasvoice.com/art....._11766.php
@Laura: Awesome! Thanks for the post! Makes me actually believe some people actually get it>