The Department of Justice has charged an Oregon man with a hate crime after he attacked a man he met on Grindr.
Daniel Andrew McGee, 22, of Springfield, met his victim via the gay dating app. McGee adopted the user name ‘str8 curious’.
They arranged to meet on July 5. However, once McGee turned up at the man’s house, prosecutors say he set about his host with a wooden club. He beat him for several minutes despite his victim begging him to stop.
An anonymous caller contacted Eugene Police and informed them they heard someone screaming for help.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Cops turned up and found the unidentified victim covered in blood. According to court documents, McGee told the police he went to the house, “because he knew that demons would be there” and his nightmares informed him he needed to kill the man.
He told them he’d struck the man with a tire thumper (a tool used by truck drivers to check pressure), and that he wanted to “slay” him and “get rid of him.”
A bag McGee brought with him to the house was found to contain a kitchen knife, a folding knife, a bottle of Comet cleaner, a portable vacuum, and a large roll of trash bags.
Related: 24-year-old charged over “vicious” murder of man he met on dating app
According to a DOJ press release, “The victim sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital.” Local press reported he had multiple wounds and a section of his skull was missing.
“Further investigation revealed that, in the weeks leading up to the attack, McGee used the internet to search for and view graphically violent anti-gay material, including videos of anti-gay attacks,” says the DOJ.
“McGee also used the internet to plan the assault, purchasing the weapon and other materials online. In addition, McGee searched online for suggestions about how to get away with murder and how murderers avoid getting caught.”
McGee was arrested by the FBI on Monday and made his first appearance in U.S. District Court yesterday.
McGee’s father said his son has autism. He told police he was worried about his son’s mental health as he’d been off and on medications.
Related: Drug dealer gets 31 years for killing James Bond actor after Grindr hookup
“This was an attempted murder,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Gavin Bruce said at yesterday’s hearing. “And I don’t use the word ‘murder’ lightly. This was a heinous and brutal attack on the victim, and looking at the nature and circumstances of the crime, it was premeditated in a way that is chilling.”
McGee was detained in custody and will undergo evaluation at the Oregon State Hospital to determine if he’s fit to stand trial.
Kangol2
An absolutely savage anti-gay attack was clearly attempted murder. This monster McGee should be behind bars for the rest of his life.
JB
Yeah, but he was trying to rid the world of demons, so it’s okay because, y’know…God and Jesus and religion.
Raphael
@JB No one is going to believe that BS. If he really believes he was doing God’s work, he wouldn’t search how to get away with it.
Harley
Reason #2768 to stay off Grindr.
IanHunter
You never know what kind of monster is lurking on Grindr or any other app. Hookups are just too dangerous. Stay safe everyone.
winemaker
As they say ‘anything you say can and will be held against you’ thus the bastard already incriminated himself for attempted murder and thus should get him life in prison, no parole.. Not to blame the victim, but who in their right mind invites a stranger ( you know absolutely nothing about ) that they met on a app or dating site into their home without having met them first in a public place like a bar or restaurant? Really meeting random people for hookups is playing Russian Roulette to say the least as you know nothing about somebody until you meet them in person.
Every dating website has dating ‘do’s and don’ts’ and meeting for the first time always should be in a public place for safety reasons. Common sense tells you this. With so many catfishers, liars and creeps out there you never can be too careful sad to say. If the person isn’t what they represented themselves to be, doesn’t look like their photo or if you get a bad feeling and the guy’s a creep, you can bail with no excuses, something difficult to do in a private situation and owe no apologies..
Raphael
The problem isn’t Grindr itself, there are crazy people everywhere. Just be safe, don’t go inviting strangers into your house, meet somewhere public and crowded first, try to get to know the person… If you’re too horny at the moment, go and jerk off, don’t put your life at risk for a few minutes of pleasure. And I don’t want to blame the victim, but for the love of God, if your life is at risk, then at least try to defend yourself, don’t just stand there and “politely ask them to stop”. If the person has a gun; there’s not much to do, but a tire thumper… Honestly.