One of the men allegedly pretended to be 16 — the legal age of consent in Maryland — and set up a sex date with the victim, who was jumped when he showed up; calling their actions “ill-advised,” lawyers for some of the suspects insist it wasn’t a hate crime.
12 students from Salisbury University in Maryland have been arrested and hit with hate crime charges, after they allegedly “lured” a man to an off-campus apartment and beat him so hard he sustained a broken rib.
After seven students were initially arrested earlier this week, five more were charged on Thursday, with the Salisbury Police Department laying out the case against them in a press release. All 12 men have been charged with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and associated hate crimes.
The suspects were members of or associated with Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, with the university saying all 12 have since been suspended, as has the frat.
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The Suspects
All 12 suspects, who range in age from 18 to 21, have been named by police.
They’ve been identified as:
– Ryder Baker, 20- Bennan Aird, 18- Riley Brister, 20- Cruz Cespedes, 19- Dylan Earp, 20- Elijah Johnson, 19- Zachary Leinemann, 18- Cameron Guy, 18- Jacob Howard, 19- Eric Sinclair, 21- Patrick Gutierrez, 19- Dylan Pietuszka, 20
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Details of the Alleged Assault
Police say “a group of men utilized a social media account and invited the victim to a residence … under false pretenses” on October 15, 2024 in a press release, though charging documents reveal additional insight.
Per the docs, via WJZ News and CNN, one of the suspects allegedly posed as a 16 year old on Grindr and set up a date with the victim — whose age has not been revealed — “for the purposes of having sexual intercourse.” Reports have noted the age of consent in Maryland is 16.
Police claim in the docs and their press release that when the victim entered the off-campus apartment, one student yelled “YEE YEE!” before 15 men “appeared from the back bedrooms” and “surrounded the victim and forced him to sit in a chair” in the living room. The victim, per police, was then “kicked, punched, and spit on” while called “derogatory names” including homophobic slurs.
One of the suspect allegedly hit the victim “multiples times in the head with a cooking sheet,” per the docs, while the victim told police he “attempted to leave the apartment multiple times” but was “thrown to the floor during every initial attempt to flee.”
After “several minutes,” per police, the victim was “eventually allowed to leave” — and, while seeking medical treatment, learned he sustained bruises all over his body and a broken rib.
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The Investigation
The victim didn’t report the incident to police, who reportedly only learned what happened thanks to videos the suspects allegedly took.
Two witnesses allegedly reported it to campus police, saying one of the suspects showed them video of the alleged assault on October 29. Campus police notified the Salisbury Police Department and videos on the student’s phone led to the identification of additional suspects. The victim, meanwhile, was tracked down after his license plate was seen in the footage as he fled the scene.
“The investigation revealed that the victim was targeted due to his sexual preferences,” said police in a statement. The victim also reportedly told authorities “he was in fear for his life during the entirety of the incident and does believe he was targeted for being a homosexual.”
Police say the investigation is ongoing.
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The School Speaks Out
After issuing an initial statement earlier this week, Salisbury University President Carolyn Ringer Lepre shared updated remarks on Thursday — following the additional arrests. In it, she expressed her “heartbreak and disbelief” over the students alleged involvement “in the violent and hateful crimes.”
Calling the incident “unspeakable” and “an act of visceral hate,” Rigner reiterated that “acts of violence towards LGBTQ+ and Ally communities are not only destructive but at odds with the principles of community, respect, and belonging that bind us together as a university.”
Rigner confirmed the victim was not a student, but added, “the thought of this happening to anyone — regardless of the circumstances — is dismaying.”
The statement added that the suspensions of both the students and the fraternity are the “harshest penalties” they can impose “at this stage of the process.”
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Lawyers Say It Wasn’t Hate Crime
While police are calling the incident a hate crime, attorneys for two of the suspects insist that isn’t the case.
“Once all of the facts see the light of day, this case will be shown to be an ill-advised attempt to expose someone willing to travel to have sexual relations with a 16-year-old child,” attorney James L. Britt told the Baltimore Banner.
An attorney for another suspect, Steven Rakow, told WJZ, “there’s more to the story than what’s being reported in the press.” Rakow also told CNN, “Let me just set the record straight – this is not a hate crime.”
Rankow’s client has a preliminary hearing scheduled for December 6, with the attorney saying he intends to plead not guilty.
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