Teen Charged With Bludgeoning a Man With Pipe Wrench Because He Was Gay

The victim of a horrific hate crime said he was lying in his bed in Decatur, Illinois, when he heard his 19 year-old neighbor Ethan Dickerson break his front window before he started hitting him with a pipe wrench. Dickerson is accused of attacking his neighbor, who is unnamed, and yelling, “you’re gay,” “you’re evil,” and threatening, “I’m going to kill you.” Dickerson, who faces charges of first degree attempted murder, home invasion, hate crime, aggravated unlawful restraint and aggravated battery, allegedly used Duct tape on the victim’s mouth and wrists, according to an affidavit. The victim said Dickerson tried to choke him with the pipe wrench after he broke free. Police were called to the scene by someone who saw the broken window and found both teens inside the home, covered with “a significant amount of blood.”