Bisexual Man Is Convicted of Hate Crime for Killing Gay Man on NYC Street

Mark Carson was shot and killed in 2013

A man charged with shooting a gay man in New York City after taunting him on the street has been found guilty of murder as a hate crime.

A Manhattan jury convicted Elliot Morales on Wednesday in the 2013 death of Mark Carson.

He faces up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced.

Witnesses testified at Morales' trial that he shouted anti-gay slurs at Carson and his roommate in Greenwich Village before firing a fatal shot when the men confronted him.

Morales, who represented himself, admitted pulling the trigger but argued that the shooting couldn't have been a hate crime because he is bisexual.

New York's hate crime law doesn't say attackers need to be of a different ethnicity or sexuality than their victim.

Shortly before the shooting, police say Morales had run into Carson and a friend near a 99 Cent Pizza and allegedly hurled anti-gay slurs at them. Morales had been with two other men at the time, and they allegedly asked if Carson was a "gay wrestler."

Carson made some remarks in response to the suspect's taunts and walked away, law enforcement sources said.

When Morales ran into the victim and his friend again later, he was alone. Words were exchanged for a second time, and the the suspect allegedly pulled out a .38-caliber revolver and shot Carson in the head, killing him, police said.

The suspect ran off, but was arrested later by a police officer on foot patrol who recognized him based on a description authorities put out after the shooting.

Before the shooting, police say the suspect had a separate confrontation with a manager and bouncer at the West Village restaurant Annisa on Barrow Street. Both men told detectives the suspect made anti-gay comments and threatened them.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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