It said Ashley?s body was battered, a classic sign of a hate crime. The article also makes reference to a previous murder, where the body of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado was ?found decapitated and partially burned in another small town. Prosecutors say the alleged killer confessed to stabbing Lopez, who was dressed as a woman, after discovering he was a man.? This too has all the characteristics of a hate crime.

I guess that?s why I started that ?Self Defense? thread a while back. I was literally stunned at the level of violence in these murders. One thing we can do is learn to take care of ourselves and look out for each other. Another thing is to continue to make the public aware of these crimes. I would like to think that most people would never do this sort of thing. Those that do must be stopped.

My heart goes out to the victims and their families.