A Texas man is charged with first-degree murder after beating his boyfriend to death.
Twenty-year-old Bryan Canchola and his boyfriend 18-year-old Stephen Sylvester got into a fight at their apartment in Austin after returning home from a night of drinking on Friday.
Their roommate told police that he awoke to hear the couple arguing in their bedroom shortly after 4 a.m. He described “banging and violent crashing” and the sound of a dog yelping in pain.
Related: Kisses From A Fist: Why Abuse In Queer Relationships Must End Now
“Why would you cheat on me?” Canchola allegedly screamed, to which Sylvester replied, “Let the dog go!”
The roommate pushed his way into the couple’s room where he witnessed Canchola, who he described as looking “extremely intoxicated,” punching Sylvester in the face and throwing a heavy glass and beer bottles at him. Blood was splattered all over the walls.
The roommate broke up the fight and drove Sylvester to the ER, but he returned home before being seen by a doctor.
At 5:15 a.m., Canchola called police to report his boyfriend was unconscious. When police arrived, Canchola had blood on his lips, hands and feet. Officers also noted that there was a “considerable lack of blood on Sylvester which suggested to him that the body may have been cleaned prior to his arrival.”
An autopsy found that Sylvester suffered signs of strangulation, a neck fracture and bleeding of the brain. The dog, too, showed indicative of strangulation.
Canchola is currently being held on a $500,000 bond.
Related: STUDY: Is Domestic Violence On The Rise Among LGBTs—Or Is Reporting Just Better?
h/t: GayStarNews
Orean Keels Jr.
So 20 years old is a man but 2 years less we refer to as a “teen?” Nice, sensationalist headline.
Kelly Keigwin
Horrible things happen in relationships of all kinds. I also agree – the headline is bullshit. Let’s make another gay man look like a pedophile, as if there isn’t enough of that from the religious right.
Greg Garavani
This is extremely troubling, these kids cannot handle their alcohol let along their emotions. While we don’t have the entire story on our hands, death should never be a result, ever. So sad! It’s always the cute ones that are crazy too. 🙁
Gregg Jabarisidiki
Neither one seemed wrapped to tight
Will Moor
So he went *back* to his enraged physically abusive boyfriend who killed his dog and without being seen by a doctor first? Oh my, that poor kid.
Skip Fillers
Why did he go went back to the apartment without being seen by Dr in Emergency room? Why did he go back at all? I would have taken dog and gotten the “f” out of there!
Donald MacMelville
Texans.
Adrian Michael Ornelas
scary shit…
Paul Tidd
Who served these guys alcohol? I thought you had to be 21? Or, is that different in the south?
Trevor Joseph Hedrick
I’m not advocating or trying to start anything but where are the abusive pot smoking couples?
David Chachki
A shame.
Chris Mommaerts
How terrible
redcarpet30
In Texas? Oh they’ll fry him twice.
Joe Payer
Wow
Robby Robinson
Why post this……very bad taste.
Tommy Ogletree
First off, he is 18, which is legally an adult, not a teen. Don’t be misleading. Secondly I hope that F*cker burns.
Christian Adrian
Steve? Nick?
Jim Trawick
Sad. But I’m lucky this wasn’t me. Mine simply left. Whew!
money718
@Robby Robinson: It’s news?
Cagnazzo82
Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.
What in the hell got into that kids head? You’re 18 and he cheated? Just break it off… you both had your whole lives ahead of you.
I can’t believe such extreme domestic violence is a thing in gay relationships. Let alone to the point of being fatal. And killing the dog? Wtf!
Randy Carlson
Thats absolutely terrible. Things can spiral out of control so quickly at 4am and drunk. He’ll pay for the rest of his life.
James Case
Oh Damn bastard! Where is your love but why killed him, no heart!
John Kuehnle
That’s horrible, both are their lives are ruined and so young.
Adrian Paul Annas
Crime of passion is one of the leading causes of murder amongst all couples.
SportGuy
Sad that this happened, but kids aren’t ready for adult relationships and this is what happens when they try.
Jarodd Washington
That’s fucked up
Will Moor
@Philip Walker: but the dog WAS strangled. Just perhaps not to death. I am glad to hear that the dog is alive at least, but still, a human life was lost. The horror of that is real and not sensational.
Cagnazzo82
@Will Moor: So the dog is alive? Nvm then.
It’s likely traumatized though.
Killers belong in jail. People who strangle dogs (even attempted) belong in mental institutions within the jail.
Joaquim Matias Santiago Filho
Too bad.
Stache99
@Cagnazzo82:”I can’t believe such extreme domestic violence is a thing in gay relationships”
Lucky for you but I’ve seen more then my fair share.
Panagiotis Markopoulos
Omg. Is that true?
dsharpark
Half of all marriages end in divorce… the other half, murder.
Seth Allshouse
How tragic, so young.
Mario Estrada
Eeeekkkkkkkk
Frank Croix
I would love to kick his mutha fucking ass.
aliengod
Mr. Canchola should have one more choice in life: gas chamber or electric chair. He needs to go!
Jerry Green
How sad.
Glücklich
And people say romance is dead. Guy sounds like a keeper!
Misty Bolling
Tragic
Julian Santacruz
Jose Santacruz
Realitycheck
I am so shocked, don’t know what to say……… Both so young and this is so sad
and terrible.
Desert Boy
Austin, TX? Well, at least they weren’t shooting each other up with a Glock. The poor dog deserved a better pet parent.
John Wilkinson
Thats rude…
Giancarlo85
Sensationalist headline. And a sad story… someone who couldn’t control his rage.
TrueWords
Why No One’s Talking About Gay Domestic Violence
http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/531e171278c90a1a64000ea6
TrueWords
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkFzj82Fwc0
Stache99
@Cagnazzo82:It’s an age of immaturity, explosive emotions, and an undeveloped frontal part of your brain that weighs the pros and cons of everything.
Just hang out with a group of twenty somethings and alcohol and you’ll see all of that in one night.
TrueWords
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48OvET3FPDU
Oscar Scheepstra
Thank you, moron. You did a great job for LGBT image.
James Roach
But *I* can’t get a date.
okiloki
Just bad choices all around. But I don’t see 1st degree murder. Seems more like a crime of passion so either 2nd degree, or manslaughter if he didn’t intend to kill the kid.
Gregory A. Britt
Crazy
martinbakman
@Robby Robinson: I agree. This article is BS. Worse than Nancy Grace.
jwtraveler
@Skip Fillers: That’s right. Blame the victim, the guy who was beaten to death. Clearly it’s his fault for getting himself murdered.
Terry Purdue
Way to work in the MAN & TEEN angle as if they were 30 and 15…
This is just horrible. How can you do that to someone you claim to love?
jwtraveler
I would think that in gay relationships, where there is no traditional power differential between the partners, there would be less domestic violence. It’s very troubling to learn that in this regard too, gay people don’t seem to be different from straight people. Very sad.
Shannon Schroeder
Anger + Alcohol ,what a shame
Transiteer
Yeah, violence solves everything. Lovers spats usually end up with someone sleeping in the car. This guy has serious issues. And now he has really serious issues. Murder in Texas is murder, gay or not. And they love executing people in Texas.
Richard Diment
If only he didn’t cheat,
John Wesley Anderson
Very disturbing.
Karl Toll
This article is brilliantly illustrated!
Joseph S Spinelli
Vulgar
Arcamenel
Canchola’s problem started when he got involved with a white boy. They are nothing but trouble.
Gloria Cowan
Someone need to beat him to death!
AzLights
@Will Moor: That is horrible. Maybe he felt he had nowhere to go? This is just terrible.
AzLights
I really feel for that poor young man. I was in a very abusive relationship for a couple of years. Luckily a work mate of mine offered me a room in her house and I took it so I was able to get out. I bet there was a history of escalating evens before the final murder. This sort of thing always seems to escalate. Just very, very sad.
Luckily, I am in a loving marriage with a very nice woman now, but I haven’t forgotten what I went through. This poor man!
Lloyd Powell
Damn. I was saving this headline for you Christmas
Ogre Magi
What a rotten rat he is!
Jared Daniel Schrock
So sad.
timucua
Should the original charge had been second-degree murder, I presume this was a crime of passion?.
Gavin Morgan
Mental illness can create sad and painful events.
seaguy
@Orean Keels Jr.: 20 is not a number that ends with “teen” which is why they did not refer to him as a teen and instead refered to him as a man. That is following the english language not being sensationalist.
Captain Obvious
@Orean Keels Jr.: You do realize 20 years old is a man and 18 is a teen right? I mean it’s in the word itself which creates the obvious difference. No one is trying to make him sound like a pedophile, but he is a murderer which is even worse so… I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make or what you’re even defending. You can’t call a 20 year old a child or a teen but you can and should call an 18 year old a teen because that is what they are.
Honestly no one will ever even know what really went down. They could’ve both been going at it like nuts and one died from injuries. At the end of the day the entire scenario is stupid and one should’ve had the sense to leave instead of fight and break bottles.
seaguy
Well when he winds up in prison he is going to make a good bitch for some big burly prisoners who likes to rough his bitches up just like he did his dead bf and that poor dog. Karma is a bitch.
jwtraveler
@Arcamenel: That is one of the most insensitive, offensive, disgusting things I’ve ever read. I can’t imagine what kind of life you’ve had to make you so cruel and hateful. I hope you get some emotional help before you get involved in a relationship so that you don’t inflict any suffering on your partner.
jwtraveler
@Captain Obvious: “An autopsy found that Sylvester suffered signs of strangulation, a neck fracture and bleeding of the brain.”
One man beat another to death. Why make excuses for him?
We all know what ‘man’ and ‘teen’ mean, but juxtaposing them like that implies more than a 2 year age difference. This story is horrific as it is; it doesn’t need to be sensationalized any more.