Hate crime charges have now been filed against the four men over last month’s incident
Four men who assaulted and allegedly used anti-gay slurs at two men following last month’s Miami Pride festival face a potential maximum of 30 years in jail each.
Prosecutors have added hate-crime charges to the aggravated battery charges the four were already facing.
If found guilty, this raises the maximum jail time from 15 years to 30 years and takes the charge from second-degree to first-degree felony.
Rene Chalarca and his boyfriend, Dmitry Logunov, were walking home from Pride festivities on the second weekend in April when they say they were attacked. They were holding hands when the men confronted them.
Chalarca and Logunov suffered numerous cuts and bruises. Another man, Helmut Muller, became unconscious when he struck his head after intervening.
Miami attack caught on camera
A video of the attack quickly spread online.
The four men, who have no previous convictions, surrendered themselves to police through their attorney.
Jail records identified the men as: Adonis David Diaz, 21, Juan Carlos Lopez, 21, Luis M. Alonso Piovet, 20 and Pablo Reinaldo Romo-Figueroa, 21.
The Miami Herald revealed yesterday that prosecutors brought hate-crime charges against the men yesterday.
Police says the men used the word ‘maricones’ against the victims – an anti-gay slur in Spanish.
The four men are currently released on bond of $7,500 each. Following the enhanced charges, they appear in court again today to find out if the bond is to be increased to $75,000 (€63,000).
