A man who was
found guilty of murdering a gay flight attendant committed
the crime out of hatred for gays, according to a
Brazoria County, Texas, jury, the Houston
Chronicle reports.
The jury made the
ruling last week. It had already found Terry Mark
Mangum, 27, of Cypress, Texas, guilty of murdering Kenneth
Cummings, 46, and sentenced him to life in prison. The
verdict that the killing was a hate crime will be
among the factors considered when Mangum comes up for
parole, for which he will be eligible in 30 years.
Mangum had
been out of prison for three weeks after serving a
five-year sentence for burglary when he met Cummings outside
a Houston bar in June 2007.
They left the bar
separately but met up again at another bar. Footage
from a supermarket security camera shows the men together
purchasing beer and wine that night. Prosecutors said
that night Mangum went to Cummings's home in the
Houston suburb of Pearland, where Mangum killed
Cummings by slitting his throat and stabbing him in the back
of the head. They said Mangum cleaned up the house the
following day and drove Cummings's body to a ranch.
Cummings's body was found partially burned a week
later in a shallow grave. His credit cards were taken to buy
a flashlight, charcoal, and gasoline.
Mangum pleaded
not guilty by reason of insanity. A psychologist said he
was a "cauldron of hate" and another said he attempted to
"rid the world of a harvest of sin." Prosecutor Jeremy
Warren said, "The sin he focused on was
homosexuality."
The guilty
verdict came after an hour and a half of deliberation, and a
life sentence after another 30 minutes. Mangum has also been
ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. (The Advocate)
