Louisiana Man Sentenced For Gay Bashing

A Shreveport, Louisiana, man has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for savagely beating a gay man with a pool cue in January.

William David Payne II, who pleaded guilty to the unprovoked assault last week and was sentenced Monday morning in Caddo District Court, apologized for the attack on John Skaggs, which took place in a Shreveport nightclub. Payne said he was both drunk and high the night of the assault.

The victim, who suffered more than a dozen facial fractures from the beating and has endured several operations, is still recovering.

Judge Ramona Emanuel sentenced Payne, who was originally charged with attempted murder, to an 18-year prison sentence for aggravated battery and five years for the hate crime.