Holden White, a gay Louisiana man who was strangled and stabbed by 19-year-old Chance Seneca earlier this year after meeting the man on Grindr, is seeking a hate crime charge for his attacker.
“He could have done this to a woman,” White told the Acadiana Advocate. “Instead, he chose to do something to someone who’s gay and proud about his sexuality.”
White, who was in a coma for three days, described that attack to the Acadiana Advocate, recalling going to a residence Seneca said was his dad’s to play video games and, soon after arriving, struggling with a cord around his throat and waking up in cold bath water as Seneca was slicing his wrists with a knife and stabbing him in the neck. Seneca later called 911 to tell them he had murdered a man, White would later learn.
At the time of their date, White had no idea that Seneca’s Facebook page displayed a photo of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
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Seneca, who is jailed on a $250,000 bond has been charged with attempted second degree murder.
Sgt. Wayne Griffin, spokesperson for the Lafayette Police Department, told police in June: “There were several indicators that point us to the direction that it was not a hate crime. I know the mom has been posting on social media, and we’ve had all kinds of people calling the PD asking us to classify it as a hate crime. It’s just because of the sensitivity of the case, we cannot go into any more about it, but it’s not going to be classified as a hate crime.”
The Acadiana Advocate adds: “White said Lafayette Police did not properly handle the case, specifically pointing to the department’s failure to provide a rape kit to medical personnel to gather and preserve evidence in the case. White said he still does not know whether he suffered sexual assault on top of his other injuries. Sgt. Wayne Griffin, spokesperson for the Lafayette Police Department, was unable to comment on the situation or the agency’s protocol for rape kit usage. Griffin said he believes the case has been turned the case over to the FBI. White confirmed he has been working with the FBI, noting that Seneca could face additional charges.”
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