Lesbian Couple Charged With Staging Hate Crime

[teflep]

A lesbian couple who claimed they were victims of a hate crime have been arrested after police determined they staged the incidents.

On Oct. 28, Aimee Whitchurch, 37, and Christel Conklin, 29, called police and reported the words "Kill the Gay" were scrawled in red spray paint on the garage door of their Parker, Colo., home.

The next day, the couple told deputies they found a noose hanging on the handle of their front door.

The women told officers they believed the incidents were retaliation from their neighbors and homeowner's association, who had complained the couple did not pick up after their dogs.

Due to the nature of the crimes, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office worked in tandem with the FBI to investigate. After reviewing witness statements, authorities determined Whitchurch and Conklin had staged the incidents.

Both women are charged with criminal mischief and false reporting. Whitchurch faces an additional charge of forgery.

She told ABC's Denver affiliate KMGH-TV police were mistaken and vowed to fight the charges.

"This is a fight I started. This is a fight I'm going to finish. This is a fight I'm right on," she said. "I have every right to live where I want to live."

gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/lesbian-couple-charged-staging-hate-crime-164243835--abc-news-topstories.html

[curmudgeon]

If they were faking it, that is fucked up and they should be prosecuted. Nice job on cheapening the impact of real hate crimes.

[JLN]

What do they have to gain from faking it? I don't get why they would do that.

[y4m]

A professor at my college staged a hate crime against her own car--she broke windows and spray painted stuff like N-word-lover on it just after she had given a big speech about racial intolerance. Classes were cancelled for a day so we could have a big anti-hate rally because of it.

Then later it turned out she totally faked it. I guess to further the cause? Give credence to her message? These things aren't unprecedented. She actually did time for it if I recall.

[earlgreyhot]

Nice to know "Crazy" does not discriminate based on color or sexual orientation.

[2vermont]

May 20, 2012 7:31:58 GMT -5 earlgreyhot said:

Nice to know "Crazy" does not discriminate based on color or sexual orientation.

lol...yup.

[Deleted]

That is nice that they also wasted the FBI's time. As far as what to gain, there is no explaining crazy, except that if they had an ax to grind against their HOA, I could see how a hate crime investigation against them would be inconvenient and upsetting, to say the least.

[pugz]

People do crazy shit when pissed at their HOA. I don't understand why people like that don't choose a neighborhood free from HOA control.

[pixy0stix]

I wonder what they thought when told the FBI was investigating. Probably, "oh shit."

[twotrue]

As they should be (if true).

sent from phone