Comments on: Murder suspect thought Puerto Rico gay teen was a woman; UPDATE

By: anthony_lee

anthony_lee — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:22:17 +0000

If Juan Antonio Martinez Matos is not given the DEATH PENALTY for this gruesome hate crime, Puerto Rico will regret it! Looks like Puerto Rico is out of the question for many now, with sick people like this roaming the streets.

R.I.P Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado… You are now an Angel in Heaven.

By: Jerry Callaio

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:33:09 +0000

What a “gem”…domestic violence, prior prison record, 4 kids @ 26 and looking for a hooker….put him away for life!

By: Jose Mitaynes

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:47:47 +0000

im so sorry to hear somethin like this stil happens. living in new york i know. but a normal person transgender or drag queen, i will say a smart one will not get into a car of a stranger. this man i understand shouldve not done something so severely. im going by what is being said here, us gay ppl n transgender or drag queens should know better not to get into a strangers car especially not knowing who this person is. you dont know the intentions of a man especially a man that went to jail n got raped, that for sure alone was a big mistake n for you to pull out a knife on him because he didnt give u money hmm crazy. but theres always 2 sides of the story and Lopez Mercado wont be able to actually say his part due to him being not alive so we really wont know what happened. but living in new york, a smart one will not do what he did. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. im sorry for the families, and it shows that being gay is not a easy task n its a mission on our lives. theres crazy poeple out there and its good to stay to yourselfs and not provoke the ones that are against it. live your life but always be aware of the sharks out there.

By: ljrhodes

ljrhodes — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:10:25 +0000

Though it might be difficult to prove, there’s a claim that the victim pulled a knife on his killer first. In the very least, he could try to argue from a self-defense angle. If it’s true that the victim pulled a knife first, then my sympathy for him will be tempered a bit.

But, that being said, his allegedly having done so isn’t what prompted his killer to attack. It’s the reason for which he killed Mercado that’s the big issue here (as well as how he killed him and what he did to him afterward, of course). It’s a sickening thing he did to Mercado, to say the least.

But, we can’t just summarily proclaim Mercado to be completely innocent in this case. To overlook or flatout ignore that he might’ve committed a crime first by pulling a knife in what would seem to be attempted robbery would be to say that gays are allowed to behave in such ways while straights are not, and that’s one of the worst things we can do.

If we want equal treatment, we must also suffer equal retribution for untoward actions. We can’t overlook the possibility that Mercado tried to commit armed robbery, even if that’s not why he was killed. These folks calling on the media to ignore this aspect of the case while focusing only on the actions of the killer isn’t just embarrassing. It’s reprehensible.

By: Bob Flavell

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:49:26 +0000

Gee, he was in prison for domestic violence, and now he’s dismembered a teenager. I’m beginning to suspect he’s a violent thug.

By: Leeanne Menses Henry

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:16:53 +0000

If there was misogynist panic? The very males that make laws would line the streets w/ their spewed guts.
It’s odd how the gay panic murdering always takes so long. It seems so involved, at what point does that panic end?
Sad to say nothing will happen out of the ordinary, even the aptly mentioned boycotting PR. We forget about women murdered like this or worse than this all the time. Will it be different because it’s a male?
This panic thing needs to work both ways. Just like the people take what they want from the bible and take what they want from Plato, and leave the interpretations aside, they take this gay panic and use what they can to interpret their excuses.

By: Terryinindy

Terryinindy — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:05:57 +0000

If “homosexual panic” defense is used then FEDERAL HATE CRIME laws would apply.

By: Drewski

Drewski — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:28:27 +0000

I’m with Kate. Don’t waste money or the prosecutor’s time on a death-penalty case. Life, no parole. If his claim is true, he was already raped in prison once. I’ll gladly pay for him to go back, and either live his life in segregation, or maybe get raped a few more times.

I haven’t seen a pic of him yet. Is he some scrawny banty-rooster type? Generally, you get raped in prison or jail because you’re perceived to be unable to fight off your attacker. It’s proving that you’re a punk, not a man. Prisons are full of predators. Keep him alive and let him feel hunted for the rest of his life.

By: kate

kate — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:14:55 +0000

Ugh, he beats women, kills gay men and this fine upstanding daddy of 4 was looking for a hooker. What a prince. I don’t believe in the death penaly, send him to jail forever. This monster aside -we have got to do more for our kids – every one of them on the streets could be the next Lopez Mercado.

By: Gene Tauber

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:42:59 +0000

The logic of killing people who kill people to show our abhorrence for killing eludes me. It’s basically saying: I think what you did is so terrible that I’m going to do it too. Huh?