A 38-year-old Bremerton, Washington man pleaded guilty today
to a federal hate crime under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate
Crimes Prevention Act, for a January 2015 assault on three gay men, announced
U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes, Western District of Washington and Principal
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Department of
Justice’s Civil Rights Division. Troy
Deacon Burns, will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge James L. Robart on November
10, 2015.
According to the plea agreement, just after midnight on
January 25, 2015 three gay men were walking on East Pike Street toward Broadway
in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood when Burns came up behind them and
shouted homophobic slurs. Burns was
holding a knife, which he raised up over his head in a stabbing position. Fearing for their safety the men started
running. As Burns caught up to one of
the men he again used a slur as he attempted to stab him. One of the other men was able to pull his
friend away from Burns. The third man
located Seattle Police Officers who took Burns into custody. While detained in the patrol car, Burns
continued to yell homophobic slurs.
Burns was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the
assault and says that he does not remember his actions.
The case was investigated by the Seattle Police Department
and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bruce Miyake and
Saeed Mody, Trial Attorney, Civil Rights Division, United States Department of
Justice. The King County Prosecuting
Attorney’s Office is providing significant assistance with the case.
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