Illinois teenager accused of attempting to kill a man for being gay
Ethan Dickerson, 19, has been held on $1 million bail for allegedly breaking into a man's home, tying him up and beating him with a pipe wrench.
An Illinois teenager is being held on $1 million bail for allegedly beating and attempting to kill a man because he is gay.
Ethan Dickerson, 19, faces preliminary charges of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery, aggravated unlawful restraint, home invasion, and a hate crime. The state’s attorney’s office may choose to add additional charges or drop some of the preliminary charges before pursuing prosecution.
According to a police affidavit, an officer responded to a report of someone breaking out the window of a residence in Decatur, Illinois around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 17. After identifying himself, the officer reported that he could only hear screaming and pleas for help, prompting him to kick the front door down.
The affidavit quotes the assailant as saying, “You know why I have to do this. …You’re gay. … You’re evil. … I’m going to kill you.”
Once inside the residence, the officer saw Dickerson, who was covered in blood, drop to his knees and surrender, allowing the officer to take him into custody. The victim was found in the kitchen, with multiple lacerations to his head and a “significant” amount of blood on the floor. Police found a pipe wrench lying on the ground and strands of duct tape, covered in blood, on a chair and on the floor.
The victim was taken to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries requiring multiple stitches, according to the Herald & Review, a Decatur-based newspaper.
The victim, 60, later told police he was lying in bed when he heard the glass on his front window shatter, and got out of bed to find Dickerson coming toward him. Dickerson then started hitting him in the head, face, and body with a pipe wrench, according to the police affidavit.
The victim claimed Dickerson duct-taped his wrists and mouth shut and forced him into a chair in the kitchen, where he was duct-taped to the chair. Dickerson allegedly continued to beat the victim, repeating his statements about why he was inflicting the harm.
The victim said he was able to free himself when Dickerson went to the front porch to get a “cake.” When he came back inside, the two wrestled over the wrench until Dickerson got behind the victim, put the wrench across his neck and began choking him. The struggle continued until the responding officer broke down the door.
Dickerson appeared before a Macon County judge on Friday for a bond hearing, at which point bail was set at $1 million.
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