Will PETA File an Amicus Curiae?
Two Florida inmates face life in prison for hate crimes against a third prisoner. Seems the victim had stolen the pet spider of one of the alleged attackers and named it Pinky. No word on whether it was the kidnapping or the granting of the name which caused the most anger. Really, what spider could hold its head up high after being named "Pinky?"
While beating the victim so severely that they fractured his skull, the alleged attackers, both black, referred to the white victim as a "cracker." It was that racial slur that caused the State to charge the inmates with a hate crime, upgrading it to a life felony. Yes, beating someone so badly that they are hospitalized with a fractured skull will only get you a few years, but uttering a racial slur while doing so means life in prison. At least this puts the lie to the sometimes claim that blacks are never charged with hate crimes against whites.
The spider has not been located.