A young gay man has been charged with the murder of his housemate in an Alabama trailer park.
Zachary Stirewalt, 21, was found in the Montgomery, AL, mobile home where police discovered the body of 43-year-old Daniel Turman.
Stirewalt was first interrogated as a suspect and later charged with the killing, according to the News & Observer.
Turman, who had been shot several times, offered Stirewalt a place to live—though its not clear if their relationship was romantic in nature. The younger man was open about his sexuality, though: He posted about his experiences on the gay scene and his interest in fasting on his tumblr page, SassyGayHippie, .
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Stirewalt, an aspiring photographer originally from North Carolina, interned at a photo studio in New York over the summer. “He was very helpful, very responsible,” said manager Natalie Hayes, who also put him up for several weeks. “I can only imagine that he did it in self-defense.”
Stirewalt is currently on suicide watch at the Montgomery County Jail, where his bail has been set at $75,000.
WayDifferent
These stories are all too common in the gay society. Gays need to reconsider these “roommate” situations especially with those vast age differences. Times are hard but many many of us have adjusted to age appropriate living conditions. If you need a roommate especially in your 40’s, you’re probably living beyond your means.
An aspiring photographer, originally from North Carolina, returns from his stint in NYC to settle in Alabama? Also reeks of “keep it real”. We just read about a similar story in queerty weeks ago. Before that, in my locale, there was a brutal murder involving a 23 year old “roommate” and the “aspiring fashion designer” in his 50’s. The 50-something actually had TWO roommates. I called off a dating relationship because the guy, in his 40’s, had a “roommate”. He also supposedly had an MBA too. Time to address the Peter Pan Syndrome so prevalent with gay men.
I have twinks 1/2 my age chasing me all over this town. I’m not interested for my own personal reasons but 2 of the most important are a) it’s not mentally healthy and b) scenarios akin to this reporting.
Keep you head to the stars but feet on the ground guys – no matter your age.
Gigi Gee
@WayDifferent – You sure live up to your name. Many relationships that have a wide age differential exist, and most don’t end so tragically. We don’t know the circumstances that led to this young man allegedly killing his landlord but I would like to suggest that we not condemn all older men who offer a younger man a safe place to land. What might seem dubious to you sounds like good old fashioned hospitality to me. Unseemly to you. Gracious to me.
stadacona
Queer hustler Kills Older Man – a story as old as time.
WayDifferent
@stadacona: Exactly. I didn’t realize how prevalent thiss was until living in a gay neighborhood.
@Gigi – There was a bit more than “hospitality” offered in this situation. Usually there are drugs involved. Common sense should have been though.
Michael
He will not do well in prison.
rcs831
@Michael: Depends on who’s perspective one is looking from. Though he may not like it but he’ll be popular.
Michael
@rcs831: Exactly. Not that I’ve been to jail, but I’m guessing twinks have it pretty rough, so to speak.
hyhybt
I’d always thought of fasting as a religious observance; I had no idea it had anything to do with being gay.
Rockery
21? I think someone needs to verify that birth certificate
Pedro1989
Eww…He must have been desperate, to end up living in a trailer park with someone his dad’s age. I generally don’t have pity for lecherous old men and I’m not going to start now. The younger guy was stable enough to function as an intern, so I’m thinking there’s more to this story.
Tracy
To see more mugshots of attractive criminal suspects, go to hotandbusted.tumblr.com.
WayDifferent
@Pedro1989: Please pass this message on to your lil’ hustler drug addicted bro’s in $hitcago, we’re not all into you. Nor desperate.
76thandpark
This is not a case of hustling, this is not a case of drugs. Zach was travelling the country trying to get in touch with himself and visiting his friends along the way. He’s a promising student without a single violent tendency. There’s more to the story that your snap judgements aren’t allowing for. Something really had to happen, that you’re not allowing for, in order for him to take such a drastic measure.
If you don’t know Zach, I suggest keeping your libellous little fingers away from the keys, surf to another topic, and go gossip about some bullshit on Perez Hilton or anything else but this young man’s life.
Billysees
@WayDifferent: 1
Can I insert some religion here?
It is written in the Book that Jesus said, “First, make sure of thy friend”.
Religion and Christianity are not always popular in every conversation and the reasons why are understandable.
But … that simple quote might be helpful to someone when they are trying to make a decision about whether to befriend somebody or not.
Just sayin’
hyhybt
@Billysees: I don’t remember that…
76thandpark
and in what tampered ‘new age’ bullshit bible is that from? Give me a verse and chapter and let me read the Aramaic, or better yet the Hebrew….
Michael
What does it matter which version since it’s all bullshit anyway?
Billysees
@hyhybt: 15
It’s one of those little seldom mentioned comments from Proverbs.
You’d have to read Proverbs on your own to ever know it exists.
To me, there are many things in Proverbs that make little sense and are simply not applicable or usable in everyday life.
But there are other verses that make some pretty good sense.
The bible to me is an inspirational guide and not a god.
It’s about a God or creator and I use it, as applicable, in my own life.
I recalled that verse from reading it along time ago.
I just checked up on it again and I can’t find the word “first” associated with it anywhere, so I made a mistake in thinking it was a part of the verse.
The point I was trying to make then is only fair and so I doubt I’ll ever try to make this point again simply because there isn’t enough clarity.
It’s from here — http://bible.cc/proverbs/6-3.htm
That’s the best Bible website cause of the many translations that are listed.
By the way, Google is the best search engine for bible verses that I’ve found.
Billysees
@76thandpark: 16
See what I said to “hyhybt”, No 15 and 18.
Let us know what you find from the Aramaic or the Hebrew.
I’m curious to learn and I think others here are also.
Billysees
@Michael: 17
I think there are basically “three” reasons why it could be said that any bible is BS.
And even to myself, I question the “value” of some of it’s comments and I question why its followers “don’t” adhere to the “best” and most “ideal” virtues expressed and contained in it.
1. Little or no effort is made to learn “on-our-own” about what the book is about and what it really says and who said it and so on.
2. The contents of the book, the NT especially, is full of comments by writers who seem to take pleasure in “accusing” and “overly judging” people and situations they’re not personally familiar with.
3. And the saddest of all reasons (and similar to the second) is the mean-spirited words and deeds that come from those who claim they follow “Him” (Jesus).
And when you learn about “Him”, you’ll find that he was “NOT” mean-spirited in any way.
On the other hand though is the fact that whether we follow Him or not, we’re all guilty of being mean-spirited, at one time or another, towards others.
When you get a chance, I recommend a great, easy to read, and inexpensive book called “The Man Nobody Knows” by Bruce Barton.
It’s subtitled as “A Discovery of the Real Jesus”.
And it’s a great “starter” book too.
This amazing and famous book could blow-your-socks-off like it did me…..lol.
You’ll learn how liberal and super-friendly and what a happy-camper Jesus really was.
Cheer….always….
hyhybt
@Billysees: Proverbs. As in, a book which does not even claim to record any sayings of Jesus, who hadn’t been born when it was written.
Billysees
@hyhybt: 21
My own knowledge, understanding, and acceptance of the bible is that it is a collection of “inspirational” stories or parables including various narratives about what people did about those things.
Some consider it the word of god himself, i.e., he personally directed the creation of its contents.
I believe that also.
But I would add this — is any inspirational, “about God” writings “not” directed from the mind of a creator-God ???
And what about the writings that are a part of the “holy texts” from other religions, is that from a creator-god also?
Of course. Why not ? And from the “same” creator-god too.
Can bible believers be so narrow minded to think that a creator-god would only “inspire” the creation of the bible, both the OT and NT, and not have his hand in other works ???
Go into any library and to the religious book section and look at the multitudes of books written about what each author would tell you is his own unique belief in a creator-god.
I believe that our “creator-god-Jesus-friend” (as I prefer to describe him) has got his hands into everything we do in this world.
Not everything in the bible is about Jesus, except the NT.
Here’s something to think about — let’s take our (or the) Gay-life for example.
Having been involved here for the last 40 years, I can say, with that kind of lengthy perspective, that many many good things have happened to us to make our life happier and better overall and this is slowly happening all over the world.
Now…who or what do you think is enabling or allowing that to happen ???
Michael
Who’s “enabling” it? What kind of question is that?? Peoples’ consciousness and understanding is enabling it. Not some mystical being. “Understanding” is changing it. Understanding through a collective pursuit of science and knowledge of our collective history.
You people that think some magical being is meddling, or even would care to meddle, in the affairs of humans are so deluded. There’s no nice way to put it, except delusion. It’s also arrogant… what makes us sooooo special that we get our very own fairy-god? We are molecules, meat. That’s all there is and all there needs to be. Accept it.
Michael
… to further that thought. At what point did “god” decide to endorse a being? Did australopithecus get a god? Did neanderthal? How about modern great apes, which it can be show have an awareness of their mortality and what it means to live and die. How about them… do they get gods? What makes us so special? Nothing, because we don’t have one either. What we have is a more developed brain that evolution has handed us, that gives us the know-how to create and build on our knowledge.
Billysees
@Michael: 23
You certainly do appreciate the consciousness and understanding we humans possess. I think I do to in that “my understanding’ and “my consciousness” is all I’m really familiar with.
But, where does the “stuff” that’s in our conscious come from? What makes it “be” ?
Does something put stuff there ?
What about “spiritual” things ?
Is there such a thing as “spirituality” ?
Science is important, but is that the ultimate source of knowing and understanding ?
I get from your comments that spiritual = magical or mystical.
But what if there’s something more about the spiritual, magical or mystical that we don’t yet completely know and understand just like there are things about science that we’ve yet to uncover ?
Spirituality seems to me to be another thing or dimension about life just like science is.
It’s got nothing to do with delusional or arrogance at all.
When Galileo, for example, made observations and then explained what he uncovered, the church of his day thought he was delusional. But he was merely applying his “scientific” mind to his work.
Spirituality I think is harder to observe and explain because there are invisible things involved. A fairy-god as you would put it.
But what if this thing was as real as science itself ?
I can’t explain things here adequately cause I don’t know enough, but I sense that there are some valuable things that can be learned from it.
“That’s all there is and all there needs to be. Accept it” you say.
But I can’t do that. I don’t (or can’t) believe that’s “all there is” and “all there needs to be”.
I’m personally satisfied that spiritual things are real and they do exist.
The question is, how is the best way to know and understand these things and make them as useful as science is ?
Billysees
@Michael: 24
Let’s “pretend” for a moment.
Let’s pretend that there is some kind of “god-mind-creator-him-her-whatever” abbreviated “it”.
Now, if that’s so, then this “it” must be enormously great and powerful in that “it” can do whatever it wants to. So….isn’t it then possible (or probable) that “it” would create and then somehow dictate the actions of its creation ? Of course.
Now there’s a huge problem with this pretended omnipotent “it”. I would just hate to think that this “it” could do “good things” with some of its creation and then “wipe out” another part of the same creation with a bad storm or something. And then there’s sickness, suffering, disease and so on. I’ll gladly admit I can’t explain these things adequately so I don’t see how I can even discuss them.
Getting back to the basics then, it would seem quite possible that “it” at some point in time would decide to “inspire” certain people along the way with knowledge about “itself”. After all, why keep the creation a bunch of dummies for too long about what the creation is all about? So, at some point in time, these “inspired” people revealed their “it given” knowledge and wisdom and understanding to whomever would hear and listen to them talk or write.
We’ve gotta go way back to see who these “inspired” people are.
I’m gonna point to this site because this subject is getting larger than I’m able to know and understand and discuss.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_religion
———————————————————————
Your two questions and one statement are important from your comment No. 24 —
1. At what point did “god” decide to endorse a being ?
My ans: He’s been endorsing many folks over the span of history as that site shows.
2. What makes us so special ?
My ans: Because “it” thinks we are. Aren’t we lucky ? Lol….lol.
3. What we have is a more developed brain that evolution has handed us, that gives us the know- how to create and build on our knowledge.
My ans: That’s a good and true comment and explains many things.
And I would add that “evolution” is “it” taking its good old time.
Master Rick
@Michael: He deserves a long rough stretch….