Sadness Follows Murder of Man Motivated by Hate

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs issued a strong statement Thursday denouncing what it called "the hate violence motivated homicide of Ricky Griffin," a murder that led to an arrest Monday in Dallas.

Police say Kieron Alexander, 25, beat Griffin to death and tried to set him on fire in an apartment in northeast Dallas Monday.

According to the advocacy group, Griffin was not gay, although officers said Alexander told them Griffin made "unwanted sexual gestures toward him."

"We are deeply saddened by the death of Ricky Griffin," said Osman Ahmed, research and education coordinator for the NCAVP at the New York City Anti-Violence Project.

"While Ricky Griffin did not identify as LGBTQ, the antigay statements made by the alleged offender highlight the disproportionate threat of homicide for gay and bisexual men, and people perceived to be gay or bisexual, and point to a possible 'gay panic' motivation in this homicide."

Officers arrived at the Dallas apartment around 6 p.m. Monday and found Griffin, 54, dead on the living room floor. He appeared to have suffered blunt force trauma to the head, The Dallas Morning News reports.

The newspaper reports that a witness who lives in the apartment but was not identified told detectives that Griffin had come to visit her earlier in the day. According to police records, she left him and Alexander alone for about an hour.

When she came home, police say, she found Griffin beaten to death and a small fire burning next to him. She put out the flames and looked for Alexander, but he was gone.

Records show that while detectives gathered evidence at the scene, Alexander attempted to reenter the apartment. He was arrested and taken in for questioning.

Alexander told detectives that Griffin's "sexual gestures" caused him to lose control and strike the victim, the Morning News reports. He also admitted attempting to set Griffin on fire, according to police. He was booked on a murder charge Tuesday.

The most recent report by the NCAVP -- Hate Violence Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and HIV-Affected Communities in the United States in 2014 -- found that gay and bisexual men, along with transgender women,and LGBTQ people of color, face the highest risk of homicide.

The NCAVP has reached out to its local affiliate, Trans Pride Initiative in Dallas, to raise awareness of Griffin's death and to offer support to the local communities affected by this violence.

"We need to recognize that even if Griffin did not identify as a member of the LGBTQ community, the homicide appears to be motivated in part by stigma against the community," said Nell Gaither, president of Trans Pride Initiative.

"It's so important to recognize that hate violence is connected to stigma held by the aggressor, not the identity of the victim."