Hate Crime

He brutally raped a lesbian for being gay. A judge just released him without bail.

ABC Screenshot

Meet Adam Quinn Atwood, a 34-year-old man living in Salt Lake City.

Police arrested Atwood on March 25 and charged him with seven first-degree felony charges of rape, object rape, aggravated kidnapping,  forcible sodomy, four counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual assault, and aggravated assault after he attacked a friend of the woman to whom he is married in their home.

The motive? The woman identifies as a lesbian. Now, a judge has released Atwood from jail without bail.

KFOR TV reports that Atwood’s alleged victim–who remains anonymous to protect her privacy–says that she went to visit the couple on the evening of March 25. When she arrived, she discovered Atwood drunk. After spending some time with her friend, the victim agreed to walk to a nearby convenience store to buy beer with Atwood. When the pair returned, her friend had vanished, and Atwood began to get aggressive. He began to touch her inappropriately and ask if she was really lesbian.

Related: Russian teen forced to rape himself on camera for criticizing Putin ally

“She told the suspect to stop and no and he asked her if she was sure she didn’t like it and if she was sure she was gay,” a police statement reads.

The woman tried to leave the house, but Atwood began to assault her, grabbing her by the neck and pushing her down a flight of stairs into the basement of the house. According to police documents, Atwood “placed his arm around her neck and choked her, she stated she could kinda breathe and possibly blacked out.”

Atwood then sexually assaulted and raped the woman multiple times, saying “he was going to fix the gay,” according to police records. His wife and children were in the house the entire time.

The woman finally managed to escape Atwood’s attack by grabbing his genitalia. As she ran from the house, he allegedly said “‘you better not tell anyone.”

Atwood has remained in jail since his arrest. A judge initially set his bail at $750,000, though that amount was lowered to $150,000 the following month. Judge Kristine Johnson ordered Atwood’s release on October 19 and waiving his bail. The details of Atwood’s court agreement–including the reason his bail was waived–have not been made public.

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated